West Virginia Eliminates Sales Tax on Guns and Ammo, Offers Tax Incentives to Manufacturers

By: Teresa Mull

Guns and ammunition are now tax-free in West Virginia.

House Bill 2499, introduced by Delegate Gary Howell, (R) passed this year to exempt “small arms and small arms ammunition” from sales tax “to encourage economic growth,” according to the bill’s language.

“If you are going to buy that $2,000 riffle, it’s going to be $120 cheaper here in West Virginia than compared to our neighboring states,” said Howell, according to wowktv.com.

Howell hopes other provisions of the law – namely, one that provides tax credits to guns and ammo manufacturers – will draw gun companies to the Mountain State.

“If they do a $1 million piece of equipment, we will tax it as if it’s a $50,000 piece of equipment. That’s to encourage investment in the state,” said Howell. “It makes West Virginia the single best place to locate arms or ammunition manufacturing plant.”

Teresa Mull ([email protected]) is editor of Gunpowder Magazine.