State right to force vendors to supply their tax bills, too

The nature of government usually precludes it from righting wrongs in real time.
Being deliberative, democratic and diligent results in time passing slowly, instead.
That’s why we are always amazed when our state’s executive or legislative branches respond in double time.
In this instance to tax deadbeat vendors and one of the more egregious cases of corruption in the past two years.
Last week, the state’s auditor announced a program that prevents state vendors who owe West Virginia taxes from getting paid.
It’s expected to seize millions in overdue tax bills from state vendors once all vendors are included in this intercept routine. There is already a similar program in place at the federal level, administered by the state auditor’s office, so it won’t take long to discover who’s not paying what.
The state also already stops additional business with vendors the state Tax Department identifies as noncompliant.
The tax intercept program doesn’t stop payment, it simply allows the Tax Department to redirect those payments back to the state treasury to cover past due  taxes.
If the vendor remains delinquent on their taxes, then all or a portion of the payment will be withheld until the vendor gets into compliance.
Meanwhile, in the Legislature, bills to clarify the debarment law for vendors has for the past two years died quietly in committees.
Debarment means exclusion from the right to bid on contracts or sell goods and services to the state for a specified time period.
It became an issue in 2017 when the state continued to pay a Putnam County contractor after he admitted to taking part in a kickback scheme with Division of Highways’ engineers.
This was not small change or for a short time, either. Indeed, the state continued to pay this contractor nearly $800,000 for about six months after his conviction.
The snag then and now is even after a guilty plea the state is required to wait until after sentencing to debar a vendor.
A guilty plea can change and does not represent a conviction until after the case is finalized, according to state Purchasing Division rules.
Never mind a criminal indictment, let alone, a guilty plea for most felonies will get any of us  fired or poison virtually any business.
To their credit, legislators have kept debarment of vendors on the radar. Yet, this legislation should advance out of committees. The state contracts with thousands of vendors and we suspect the vast majority do work by the rules and pay their taxes.
It’s about time those who don’t, face the consequences.