West Virginia Chamber of Commerce

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2008 Annual Meeting: Supreme Court Candidates Forum

Attendees to the Chamber's 2008 Annual Meeting will be able to hear directly from the three candidates seeking election to the W.Va. Supreme Court of Appeals. In November, state voters will decide which individuals fill two seats on the five-member high court. The three candidates will be on hand to provide short presentations as part of a special forum on Friday morning, August 29.

2008 Annual Meeting Speakers Include ABC's Stossel, Senator Breaux

Headline speakers for the West Virginia Chamber’s 72nd Annual Meeting and 2008 West Virginia Business Summit have been announced. Among them are ABC News' John Stossel, Patriot Coal CEO Richard Whiting and former U.S. Senator John Breaux. Click here for more details.

Register To Attend -- 2008 Annual Meeting

August 27-29, 2008, The Greenbrier
Click to register and to get hotel/lodging details

West Virginia Primary Election Results

Click to see results

W.Va. Chamber's 2009 Policy Papers Being Developed
The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce has begun work on its policy papers for 2009. Each year the Chamber adopts policy papers on key issues that will help to drive business growth and job creation in the Mountian State. (Click to read the 2008 policy papers.)

2008 Session Highlights

Click to read 2008 session wrap-up report

Major Business Tax Relief Approved

Governor Manchin has signed a bill (S.B. 680) that will set the stage for major business tax relief over the coming years -- a phased reduction of the Corporate Net Income Tax down to a rate of 6.5 percent and the elimination of the Business Franchise Tax by 2015. Click to read an overview.

West Virginia Gets Poor Rankings In Legal Studies

The Insitute for Legal Reform has issued its 2008 rating of state legal climates, and West Virginia again received a last place rating. Click to read report.

The American Tort Reform Foundation has issued its Judicial Hellholes® 2007 report, citing first-time Hellholes Clark County, Nevada and Atlantic County, New Jersey. They join perennial Hellholes South Florida, the Rio Grande Valley and Gulf Coast of Texas, Cook County, Illinois and West Virginia among the nation's most unfair civil court jurisdictions. Click to read report.

The American Legislative Exchange Council has issued a new study, called “Rich States, Poor States,” that places West Virginia low regarding its legal system and tax structure. The study ranks the Mountain State 40 out of 50. The state’s poor ranking is due to its corporate income tax being among the highest in the country, its state personal income tax rate (6.5 percent) not being competitive with regional rates and its 49th ranking in terms of taxes beyond property taxes, sales taxes and income taxes. As far as other negative factors, the study ranks West Virginia’s judicial climate as being 50th out of 50 states and notes that West Virginia also is not a Right to Work state.