Pop Tax would go away, new funding source created for state’s med schools in Senate bill
Metro News
Jeff Jenkins
February 3, 2022
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A bill is moving through the state Senate would eliminate the state pop tax on July 1, 2024 while creating a new revenue stream for the WVU School of Medicine and the state’s other two med schools.
The bill, SB 533, was approved by the Senate Finance Committee Thursday morning.
The 1-cent tax has funded the WVU School of Medicine since the tax’s creation in 1951. The legislation removes the tax and creates a funding stream for the WVU, the Marshall School of Medicine and the West Virginia Osteopathic School of Medicine from the existing state Insurance Premium Tax. WVU would receive $14 million, Marshall $5.5 million and $3.9 million for the Lewisburg-based osteopathic school.
WVU Vice President Rob Alsop told the finance committee Thursday that WVU was approached in recent months about its interest in getting its med school money from another area. Alsop said they were told of the desire to eliminate the pop tax by lawmakers. Alsop said WVU supports the bill.