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AMENDMENT 2

Justice hosts town hall on controversial proposal

The Inter-Mountain photo by Edgar Kelley Governor Jim Justice speaks to a large crowd at James F. Cain Courthouse Annex on Tuesday. Justice was in Elkins to speak out against Amendment 2 that will be on voters’ ballots in November.

ELKINS– Governor Jim Justice made a stop in Elkins on Tuesday to speak out against Amendment 2. The measure will be on voters’ ballots during the general election next month.

In recent weeks, the governor has been making his way across the state in hopes of urging voters to reject the amendment, which relates to Article X and the collection of personal property taxes. It is one of four proposed amendments to the State Constitution that will appear on November’s ballot and a public vote is required in order for any of those to pass.

Justice said the main thing pushing voters toward a possible yes vote for Amendment 2 is the elimination of personal vehicle tax. The governor told the packed room at the James F. Cain Courthouse Annex that including the car tax in the proposed amendment wasn’t accidental.

“They (legislature) said we will get rid of your car tax with this and you will vote for it,” said Justice. “We will basically buy your vote. And we don’t give a hoot about the car tax, but we will get your vote for Amendment 2 and then we will get to do anything we want to do. That’s exactly what happened.”

If passed, it would give the state legislature authority over the property taxes that currently fund county governments, school boards and emergency services.

“You have an income stream that is flowing to your counties right now,” Justice said. “If you pass Amendment 2, all bets are off. And then what happens is, instead of local control, it goes to Charleston control. Everything will be fine in life unless there is a bump in the road. And you can bet in every single way there is, there will be a bump in the road. And when there’s a bump in the road, then you all know what’s going to be to pay. Because what’s going to happen then, is we are going to be short on dollars. And if we are short on dollars, we are not going to be able to fund counties to the level that you have today.”

Businesses would be exempt from paying taxes on things like machinery and equipment if the amendment passes. Supporters say that would attract more industry to the Mountain State.

“Nobody is going to benefit more than me from getting rid of the machinery and inventory tax,” said Justice. “And I’m telling you, don’t do it. Because it’s too blooming risky and it does the other thing that I think is the worst of the worst, it puts a stake right in the heart of getting rid of your personal income tax, and every last one of us knows, if we have any brain in our head at all, if you can get on a real pathway to getting rid of your personal income tax in West Virginia, it drives growth and more opportunity for growth, growth and growth. It flat out just does.”

Justice said he’s not against the machinery and inventory tax, he just feels that it’s just in the wrong place in the lineup. He also said that he came up with a way to get rid of the car tax without it being a part of Amendment 2.

“I came up with a way to get rid of your car tax, it’s gone,” said Justice. “You don’t have to worry about that, Amendment 2, not Amendment 2, it’s gone. I promise you to God above, it’s gone. We’ve come up with a way to rebate you back dollar-for-dollar, for whatever your car tax is. So Amendment 2 now has nothing to do with your car tax.”

Justice said the only thing Amendment 2 has to do now with the car tax issue taken care of is — change the Constitution, give up local control, give all the control to Charleston, and drive a stake in the heart of personal income tax.

“Bob Pruett down at Marshall said it best,” Justice said of the former Herd football coach. “He said it would be like a bunch of politicians standing there and asking everyone for their wallet and all their money. Then all the politicians would promise to give it back. They may not even be there because politicians come and go, but they promise to give it back.”

Several people in attendance asked Justice questions, including Sen. Robert Karnes, R- Randolph, 11th District. Karnes told the governor that he originally was for Amendment 2, but changed his mind when he saw the direction it was headed.

“One of the reasons I switched, because I voted to send Amendment 2 out, was I didn’t see the responsibility that I thought should have followed Amendment 2,” said Karnes. “On the question of local control, the difference is that if we do this back bill plan and down the road times get tough, you guys at the county level are going to find yourselves having to cut spending for law enforcement for example. You are going to catch all the blame for that but it will be the legislature who has cut your budget. For me this could have been done so much better, but it just wasn’t, so I can not support it anymore.”

The general election will be on Nov. 8, with the early voting period set for Oct. 26 through Nov. 5. Early voting in Randolph County will be held at the same two locations as the primaries — the Wees Annex in Elkins and at the Russell Memorial Public Library in Mill Creek.

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