Associated Press Published

W.Va. Tax Department Struggling to Fill Job Openings

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A West Virginia tax official says staff shortages driven by low salaries make it difficult for the state Tax Department to perform its duties.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that assistant tax commissioner Danny Morgan told a legislative panel Friday that the department has lost 18 percent of its personnel since 2013.

Morgan says the difficulty filling vacancies is also due to concerns that possible state budget cuts could spur layoffs.

Morgan says the public likely notices the shortages most when calling the understaffed Taxpayer Services, with call wait times reaching two hours.

He noted a shortage of auditors because of the $29,400 starting salary.

Morgan says the department is proposing 5 percent annual raises for new hires and salary adjustments for employees with five or more years of service.