(a) Each person, partnership or corporation which employs an economically disadvantaged Vietnam era or Korean conflict veteran or any disabled veteran, or an unemployed member of the West Virginia National Guard or a member of the reserve forces of the United States for a continuous period of one year, except as otherwise provided in this article, shall be entitled to an appropriate tax credit for each such individual so employed. In the case of a person or partnership so employing such individuals, the tax credit provided for in this section shall be applied against the employer's personal income tax liability. In the case of a corporation so employing such individuals, the tax credit provided for in this section shall be applied against the corporation's corporate net income tax liability. This tax credit shall be nonassignable and may not exceed an employer's total tax liability with respect to the specific tax against which the tax credit is required to be applied.
(b) The amount of the tax credit allowed under subsection (a) of this section shall be an amount equal to the following:
(1) For each economically disadvantaged Vietnam era or Korean conflict veteran employed as described in subsection (a), the amount of the tax credit allowed shall be thirty percent of the employee's wage base. For the purposes of this section, the employee's wage base is the first $5,000 in wages or compensation actually paid to the employee by the employer;
(2) For each disabled veteran employed as described in subsection (a), the amount of the tax credit allowed shall be a percentage equal to the percentage of disability suffered by the veteran multiplied by the employee's wage base. The employee's wage base is the same as provided in subdivision (1) of this subsection. The percentage of disability referred to in this subdivision means the percentage of compensation for service connected disability as determined by the United States department of Veterans Affairs; and
(3) For each member of the West Virginia National Guard or member of the reserve forces of the United States employed as described in subsection (a), the amount of the tax credit allowed shall be twenty-five percent of the employee's wage base. For the purpose of this section, the employee's wage base is the first $5,000 in wages or compensation actually paid to the employee by the employer.