PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — The president of Americans for Tax Reform, Grover Norquist, came to Parkersburg Thursday with a message to state lawmakers to continue their cuts to the personal income tax.
Norquist, who joined Gov. Patrick Morrisey at a local business, told the crowd the laws of taxation are very simple and have not changed—if you want less of anything, just put a tax on it.
“When you tax things less, you get more of them,” Norquist said. “When you tax investments and jobs less, you get more of them; when you tax work less, you get more of it, and this has been the pattern in United States history.”
The legislature and the Justice administration cut the personal income tax rate by more than 20 percent in recent years through a series of legislative and trigger-based reduction.
Morrisey called for a 10 percent cut in his State of the State Address earlier this month. His proposed budget provides for 5 percent and he’s said he wants to work with the legislature to find the other 5 percent.
“This is a realistic proposal and I’m excited to get it done this year,” Morrisey said Thursday. “But I will tell you that it’s an election year and a lot of people are looking to spend inordinate amounts of money.”
Morrisey kicked off the Thursday’s event by proclaiming the state was ready for an additional income tax cut to applause from those in attendance. He added an additional cut would direct more money back into the pockets of the people rather than to Charleston.
“Whether it’s the price of energy bills, groceries, or you just want to take your family out to dinner on Friday night or go see a movie,” Morrisey said. “That’s your money, that’s the people’s money, and never let anyone forget that.”
Norquist pointed to Virginia and newly elected governor Abigail Spanberger, who has proposed a litany of tax increases. Norquist said when the cost of doing business in Virginia goes up and goes down in West Virginia, it’s not a difficult decision for business and industry.
“Someone asks, ‘Where should we build? In Virginia, where they’re about to get rid of right to work and they’re going to raise taxes, or should we stay in the state of West Virginia, where taxes are going down and are going to stay down?'” Norquist said.
Del. John Williams, D-Monongalia, said it’s easy to advocate for tax cuts when you don’t have the responsibility to maintain services to constituents and their families. He fears reducing revenues again would create the possibility of a fiscal crisis that could force the state to tap into the Rainy Day Fund to make ends meet.
“He comes in here from out of town to tell us how we should balance our budget,” Williams said. “But the problem is Norquist doesn’t have kids that go to school in West Virginia, he doesn’t drive on our roads every day, and then he’s just going to leave.”
If Norquist is the spokesperson for the Republican Party, then Williams said they should locate a teacher to be their mouthpiece. The best person to carry their message would be an educator from the public school system who has endured some of the lowest pay in the country while the cost of health insurance has been on the rise.
“Me and my colleagues should have a press conference with a public school teacher who’ll receive $60 more in their pocket every year from this tax cut,” Williams said. “Meanwhile their premiums go up $160 or so every quarter.”
Thursday’s Morrisey-Norquist event happened in Wood County, the home county of House Finance Committee Chairman Vernon Criss who has appeared to be lukewarm to further cutting the income tax without following the previously approved triggers.