Long reliant on taxes from unearthing coal and — more recently — natural gas, West Virginiafaces a budget quandary as its natural resource industries struggle and hardline legislative Republicans stand against raising taxes.
The line drawn by House Republicans was apparent Thursday, when a budget committee killed Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s plan to bring in new cash by raising taxes on cigarettes, tobacco products and e-cigarettes. Democrats also opposed the stripped-down bill that would have upped only the cigarette tax by 45 cents to $1, contending that it didn’t go far enough.
