Beer Tax Falls Short

After a public hearing on Monday, the Health and Human Resources Committee met yesterday to discuss the possibility of raising the tax on beer in WV. The increase revenue from the tax was to go toward funding substance abuse programs across the state. The committee ultimately decided that it would pass a different bill which would allow these programs to be funded by a state Medicaid reserve fund and other sources chosen by the legislature rather than from a tax on beer. Currently, the Medicaid reserve contains almost $350 million.