By Charles Young, WV News
ROANOKE, W.Va. — There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
That’s the advice Adam Schwiebert, external affairs manager for the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, asked attendees of the West Virginia Association of Counties’ Fall Meeting to keep in mind when considering Amendment 2.
Amendment 2 — formally called The West Virginia Authorize Tax Exemptions for Vehicles and Personal Property Used for Business Amendment or the Property Tax Modernization Amendment — is one of four proposed amendments to the West Virginia Constitution that will appear on the ballot in the Nov. 8 midterm election.
Amendment 2 would authorize the Legislature to be able to change Article X of the state Constitution to eliminate the tangible personal property tax used for business activities and the personal property tax on motor vehicles.
Proponents of Amendment 2 have argued that eliminating the tax on tangible personal property used for business will result in increased investment in the state by companies because of the prospect of a decreased tax burden…