As state lawmakers prepare to consider a 5% personal income tax cut, they are not wrong to be asking for long-term forecasts that will better help them make the decision. Of course our elected officials should be doing all they can to ensure taxpayers are able to keep more of their hard-earned money. They must not do so irresponsibly.

State Senate Finance Committee Chairman Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, said he had not seen a long-term tax revenue and expenditure forecast in years. The State Budget Office says the last publicly available six-year forecast was provided Jan. 8, 2020. Gov. Jim Justice did not deny he’s been failing to send the forecasts, calling previous such forecasts “worthless.”

“I’m a guy who believes in — realistically — hoping that the glass is half full rather than half empty,” Justice said. “Would it have made you feel better if I would have supplied or our tax people or Department of Revenue people would have supplied you a chart that every single year … like the charts that happened before I walked in the door … or would you rather have surpluses like you can’t fathom and all the goodness going on?”

One wonders whether Justice understands it might have been possible to do both; or that unrelenting optimism is not always the best way to serve West Virginians. A dose of realism is necessary.

Despite his bristling, Justice says he will supply the requested forecast.

“Until somebody can tell us our numbers are wrong and show us that there’s a way to afford this tax cut without putting the people of West Virginia at risk … we do not want to fail them,” Tarr said. “You can’t afford 5% right now, nowhere that I can see.”

Surely all those involved want nothing more than to do right by ALL West Virginians while letting us keep as much of OUR money as possible. Justice maintains government can continue to do its job after implementation of a 5% personal income tax cut. Lawmakers are handing him the opportunity to prove it. He must not delay in seizing it.