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McGeehan seeks tax increase change

PROPOSES CHANGES — West Virginia Del. Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, spoke on the House floor Tuesday. McGeehan is proposing a change to how taxes and fees are increased in West Virginia.

By JOSELYN KING

Staff writer

CHARLESTON — Del. Pat McGeehan has sponsored a resolution to amend the West Virginia Constitution to require a two-thirds majority to pass any future tax or fee increase by the Legislature.

“The people of West Virginia are taxed enough already, and we need to do everything we can to protect them from politicians in Charleston who want to take more of their hard-earned paychecks,” McGeehan, R-Hancock, said.

McGeehan said the resolution should be introduced later this week and is supported by House GOP leadership. If approved by a two-thirds majority of both houses, the amendment would be put out to voters for approval later this year.

McGeehan, a leader of the House of Delegates’ Liberty Caucus, said he was happy to hear Gov. Jim Justice say last week that he is not asking for any new taxes to balance the fiscal year 2019 budget. But McGeehan said that does not mean lawmakers should stop their fight against government spending growth and increased taxation.

“A key reason they aren’t asking for tax increases this year is the fact that we in the House have fought hard against unreasonable spending growth in the past few budgets,” McGeehan said. “Had we not made cuts and held the line on spending, we may have heard this year that they need more taxes to balance the budget.”

McGeehan, however, said future legislators may not show the same discipline.

McGeehan said the two-thirds approval resolution is part of a broader taxpayer bill of rights he hopes to see passed this session.

His plan also would limit future spending growth to a “fiscal growth factor,” a formula that would take into account growth in population, GDP and inflation.

“We need to hold politicians accountable, and make sure they’re not growing government unnecessarily or failing to take the financial struggles of our constituents into account,” McGeehan said. “If we pass these amendments, we will make sure taxpayers are adequately protected from politicians who want to tax-and-spend this state into economic ruin.”

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