OMEGA News - OMEGA - West Virginia Oil Marketers & Grocers Association

Details: Press; April 28, 2017

wvomegtax

Dear Governor Justice,

I'm writing to you on behalf of the West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers Association (OMEGA WV) in regards to the upcoming Special Session and budget.

For our industry, border stability is our number one issue. Because of the products we sell – gasoline, tobacco, sugary drinks, etc. – we must remain competitive on our borders. Unfortunately, it appears as if our industry has been under constant attack with tax increases proposed throughout the session on all of these items.

The proposed eight cent increase in the gas tax (flat and variable) would make ours significantly higher than all our border states except Pennsylvania.

For reference, I’d like to give you an idea of what the recent tobacco tax did to our border retailers. For border locations, overall tobacco sales were down a minimum of 15% (Huntington), 24% (Princeton), 22.5% (Wheeling) and 24% (Martinsburg).

Gasoline purchases account for approximately 5% of consumer spending in any given year. This increase would also place a huge burden on the citizens of West Virginia who choose to purchase inside our state.

The creation of the Commercial Activities Tax (CAT) would hit our industry especially hard because our businesses are high gross sales with low net margins. Normally, when the price increases our margins decrease. If it becomes a necessity to implement this tax, we request that fuel be exempt.

As mentioned above, our industry provides many products to our citizens and any tax increases will greatly affect our businesses and possibly reduce the number of jobs that we are able to provide to our citizens because of loss of border sales.

Below are graphs showing our current tax rates compared to our neighboring states:

om tax 2017

Thank you in advance for your consideration. If you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to call me at 304.343.5500.

Sincerely,

jan sig

Janet S. Vineyard
President

Details: Press; April 17, 2017

Charleston, W.Va. (April 17, 2017) – With more than 4,000 West Virginia children in out-of-home-care and 1,200 children in need of adoption, the West Virginia Oil Marketers & Grocers Association today launched their 7th Annual Every Child Deserves A Loving Home Campaign to raise funds to help children and families in crisis across the state.

"The Children's Home Society of West Virginia, which has offices and child shelters throughout the state, works to protect and nurture children and families in crisis," said Jan Vineyard, president of OMEGA. "The Every Child Deserves a Loving Home Campaign was developed to provide needed funding to help West Virginia's children and families and we ask the public to join us in doing just that."

All funds raised through this statewide effort will go towards the Children's Home Society's assistance programs, which include; emergency child shelters, foster care, adoption support, mentoring, early intervention and numerous other family support programs.

Details: Press; December 27, 2016

Details: Press; April 21, 2016

Offers Simple Tips to Prevent Littering

Proud Eagle, Inc., West Virginia’s largest Anheuser-Busch distributor, recognizes Earth Day, this Friday, by encouraging residents of our state to engage in litter prevention initiatives and offers simple litter prevention tips.

“Litter is a persistent problem in local communities and one that is 100 percent preventable,” said Jim Linsenmeyer, chief operating officer and manager partner of Proud Eagle. “Litter is not the result of a lack of a trash can, but rather a behavior or choice by people who think litter will always be taken care of by someone else.”

The fact is litter is everyone’s problem and we all have a responsibility to keep our communities beautiful. That’s why, in partnership with Keep America Beautiful, a national conservation organization, Anheuser-Busch distributors across the country are encouraging everyone to put litter in its proper place – a trash or recycling receptacle. There are many ways you can keep your community clean, but here are just a few simple tips to get everyone started:

Details: Press; April 11, 2016

Offers Tips to Parents When Approaching Underage Drinking

This month, Proud Eagle, Inc., West Virginia’s largest Anheuser-Busch distributor, joins with organizations across the nation to recognize April as National Alcohol Awareness Month.

For nearly thirty years, businesses and organizations throughout the country, such as Proud Eagle, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), and the Center for Alcohol Policy have sponsored and participated in Alcohol Awareness Month to increase public awareness of the problems that alcohol abuse can cause for individuals, their families and their communities.

“Parents play a vital role in providing their kids with an understanding of alcohol and the impacts it could have on their lives,” said Jim Linsenmeyer, chief operating officer and principal manager partner of Proud Eagle, Inc. “Alcohol use by young people is reckless, to both themselves and to society. Parents are faced with a significant challenge, they can either sit back and hope that their kids can make the right decisions or they can take an active role in learning about alcohol and helping their kids do the same.”