If you’ve left the country roads of West Virginia behind you, it might be worth your while to consider a return. The state Senate has unanimously passed a bill that would offer $25,000 in tax credits to entice people who once lived in the state and moved away to come back. The bill now sits before the state House.
West Virginia saw its population drop 3.2% between 2010 and 2020, as industries such as coal and steel have become less in demand. It is the only state in the country that has fewer residents now than it did in 1950.
The incentive isn’t open to just anyone who used to live in West Virginia, however. To be eligible, you’ll need to have either been born in the state or to have lived and worked there for at least 10 years. You’ll also have to have lived outside of the state for at least 10 consecutive years.
If the tax credit can’t be used in one tax year, it can be applied to future years, assuming it passes the House. It would expire in 2029.
Offering a big tax credit is a good way to turn heads, but whether that will be enough to reverse the population drain is a bigger question. West Virginia’s economic problems have been going on for some time. And some areas are suffering from additional maladies.
In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared Charleston, W.V., the scene of the country’s “most concerning HIV outbreak” due to IV drug use, including opioids. And the state’s controversial ban on transgender athletes competing in female school sports has attracted criticism, despite a District Court ruling that the ban can stay in place.
