W.Va. Legislature Lowers Food Tax

The food tax will be reduced by a penny starting January 1, 2012.

March 11, 2011

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - On Wednesday, the West Virginia Legislature approved lowering the state??s food tax by a penny, with an effective date of January 1, 2012, the Charleston Daily Mail reports.

The Senate passed the measure before sending it to the House. House leaders scrambled to garner the votes to pass the bill, supported by acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. Tomblin pushed for the proposal, arguing that lawmakers needed to do something to give residents a break, especially after the legislature okayed pay raises to public employees.

The tax cut was tacked on to House Bill 2971, which contained other proposals dealing with state sales taxes. The Senate approved the bill unanimously with a 1 percentage point slash in the food tax.

"By reducing the sales tax on food by 1 cent, we're giving back to our hard-working families, seniors and all West Virginians," said Tomblin. "In these tough economic times, we have all been making concessions. This tax cut puts money back into West Virginians' pockets."

The House was considering the measure as of press time, with House Republicans in favor of the reduction or even elimination of the food tax.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement