FISCAL NOTE



FUND(S):

General Revenue Fund

Sources of Revenue:

General Fund

Legislation creates:

Neither Program nor Fund



Fiscal Note Summary


Effect this measure will have on costs and revenues of state government.


The stated purpose of this bill is to exempt income received by retired public employees and retired teachers through their state retirement systems from personal income taxes. The bill, as written, creates a decreasing modification for all retirement income received in pensions and annuities from the Public Employees Retirement System or the West Virginia Teachers Retirement System. In addition, the bill places this new decreasing modification outside the calculations for the $8,000 senior citizens’ modification. Absent an internal effective date, the provisions of this bill would become effective for the 2012 tax year. Passage of this bill would result in a decrease in General Revenue Fund collections of $24.3 million beginning in FY2013. The anticipated retirements of members of the baby-boom generation will result in additional escalation of costs over time. There would be no additional administrative costs.



Fiscal Note Detail


Effect of Proposal Fiscal Year
2011
Increase/Decrease
(use"-")
2012
Increase/Decrease
(use"-")
Fiscal Year
(Upon Full
Implementation)
1. Estmated Total Cost 0 0 0
Personal Services 0 0 0
Current Expenses 0 0 0
Repairs and Alterations 0 0 0
Assets 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0
2. Estimated Total Revenues 0 0 0


Explanation of above estimates (including long-range effect):


The bill, as written, creates a decreasing modification for all retirement income received in pensions and annuities from the Public Employees Retirement System or the West Virginia Teachers Retirement System. In addition, the bill places this new decreasing modification outside the calculations for the $8,000 senior citizens’ modification. Absent an internal effective date, the provisions of this bill would become effective for the 2012 tax year. Passage of this bill would result in a decrease in General Revenue Fund collections of $24.3 million beginning in FY2013. The anticipated retirements of members of the baby-boom generation will result in additional escalation of costs over time. There would be no additional administrative costs.



Memorandum


The stated purpose of this bill is to exempt income received by retired public employees and retired teachers through their state retirement systems from personal income taxes. The bill is silent as to the present limitation of $2,000 in W. Va. Code §11-21-12(c)(5) of the same monies. The bill does not specify that a surviving spouse has the same modification but implies that result because the bill includes annuities. The provisions of this bill create significant additional disparity between retirees based on the source of pension income. One result may be additional legal challenges on the part of less favored retiree groups.



    Person submitting Fiscal Note: Mark Muchow
    Email Address: kerri.r.petry@wv.gov