CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – With just four days left in the fiscal year, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice says the state is unlikely to see the 10% cut to the personal income tax he had been hoping for.

The governor did say, based on preliminary numbers, it appears the state will have around $800 million in surplus dollars. Although the state will not see the percentage Justice had been hoping for, he said in his semi-regular briefing on Wednesday that West Virginia needs to continue working toward the goal of eliminating the personal income tax altogether.

“We need so badly to continue on that path. I mean, at the end of the day, if West Virginia could advertise today that West Virginia has no personal income tax, it would be unbelievable of the goodness that would come to this state,” Justice said. “We need to continue on. We absolutely need to do what I said over and over – mind the store properly.”

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The governor says it is important for the state to stay ahead in the attempt to eliminate the tax, as there are other states looking to get rid of their personal income taxes, and there are others that do not have the tax. Justice said he intends, while still in office, to push the legislature and the revenue to do as much as they can toward some type of tax cut.

“If we don’t watch out, other states are trying to the same thing now. If we don’t watch out, we’re going to awaken to the fact that we’re going to be behind. Instead of being out in front, we’re going to be behind,” Justice said.

Justice said other allocations for portions of the expected surplus have not yet been finalized, but one area his office is looking at is infrastructure and roads. While the governor says the state’s roads have significantly improved since the inception of Roads to Prosperity, there is always more work to be done.

Although some funds from the surplus could be used for needed projects in the state, such as road improvements, the governor said he does not want to use the funds for “pet projects,” and that he wants money to go “back in the pockets” of West Virginians.

The fiscal year ends on Sunday, June 30, 2024, and the new fiscal year will begin on Monday, July 1, 2024.

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