CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The full Senate will consider a tax overhaul package passed by the Senate Finance Committee Monday.
The package would eliminate business and inventory taxes, machinery taxes and personal property taxes on vehicles over a six year period and replace the revenue by increasing the sales tax from 6 to 6.5 percent and increasing tobacco-related taxes.
Senator Roman Prezioso, Democrat from Marion County was a guest on WAJR’s Talk of the Town agrees the business and inventory is regressive and the state could grow economically if there was a feasible way to cut the taxes.
“It’s got to go through the House of Delegates, and they’re not going to want to raise taxes,”Prezioso said,”I don’t think the Governor is on board with the issue, there has not been a continuity of discussion among the House, Senate the Office of the Governor.”
Prezioso says this plan appears to target people while taking the burden away from business.
“When you look at all this, West Virginians are going to pay the brunt of the burden with the sales tax,”Prezioso said,”It seems like we’re eliminating taxes on businesses and putting them on the backs of the people.”
Prezioso is concerned about adequately being able to fund county governments, boards of education and says this proposal would drastically change the tax code.
“The way the bill is structured now we’re going to phase it out over a six year period and It’s going to be up to Legislature,”Prezioso said,”We’ll be the taxation body now, and it takes the citizens of West Virginia totally out of the loop, and I don’t know how that will set.”
Prezioso says these are big changes, over a short period of time and many organizations are scrambling to understand the proposal.
“There are a lot of questions to be asked, the counties were somewhat represented in the committee,”Prezioso said,”I’m sure they’re going to go back to their organizations and take a position, but it’s going to have to be quickly, in three days it’s going to be passed over to the House if the votes are there.”
Prezioso says now is the time to plan and think about the future.
“I think we’re in a situation right now where we ought to put this on the back burner, not forget about it, we need to continue to address that issue and move forward,”Prezioso said,”I think the timing now is just not right.”