Business Doesn’t Owe Government Anything
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
Business enterprises owe the customers who purchase their products or services, quality and value, priced in a competitive fashion. If they fail to provide appropriately in these ways, customers will go to other enterprises who do and the business risk going out of business for lack of customers.
Business enterprises owe their employees a safe working environment with compensation provided for the work the employees perform. If they fail to provide appropriately in these ways, employees will not work for the enterprise and the business risk going out of business for lack of employees doing the work necessary to provide products or services to customers.
Business enterprises owe themselves the ability to generate profits, above levels incurred for the costs of doing business. If they fail to provide a return on the investment for the owners (including stockowners for Corporate enterprises) the business risk going out of business for lack of resources to continue their operations.
In spite of the current government philosophy, expounded on by those (especially some elected to be our representatives in Nevada’s Legislature) that there is a corporate citizenship responsibility to pay taxes above and beyond present levels – Nevada business enterprises don’t owe government a blank check to make unsustainable spending possible. One could seriously consider the current tax system as already being flawed in its approach of singling out certain business enterprises (once deemed to be capable of paying more than their fair share) as being more equal than others when it comes to forking over their dollars to make increased state spending doable.
If business enterprises believe that they have corporate citizenship responsibilities to assist with beneficial activities for community good, those choices are voluntary options which should be considered as decisions made by those involved with the business enterprise – not forced through government authority or coercion.
Somewhere along the line members of the Nevada Legislature came to consider it their responsibility to use their offices to extract extra taxes from some businesses or self-righteously proclaim what businesses owed the state of Nevada for the privilege of doing business here.
What a fantastic recruiting tool that must be to bring business operations to Nevada! Come here so you too can pay for our desired spending for state-sponsored educational services that deliver less than 50 percent graduation rates… You owe us to relocate your business so you too can be considered as potential targets for government raids on your profitability… What a super business climate we offer. Perhaps, we should seek to do even more to burden struggling businesses, who haven’t yet gone out of business, the “privilege” to pay more? If anyone (including a Governor recently elected by a sizeable margin on a pledge of not increasing taxes) suggests that not raising taxes is a good idea, let’s marginalize their perspective and claim the world will end if Nevada government doesn’t have more to spend.
When the assessment is evaluated on who owes who, let us reconsider the foundational principles that a government of the people, by the people and for the people exist to serve people – not the other way. In spite of the leadership philosophy of the majority party, the private sector does not exist to serve the public sector.
Business enterprises owe the customers who purchase their products or services, quality and value, priced in a competitive fashion. If they fail to provide appropriately in these ways, customers will go to other enterprises who do and the business risk going out of business for lack of customers.
Business enterprises owe their employees a safe working environment with compensation provided for the work the employees perform. If they fail to provide appropriately in these ways, employees will not work for the enterprise and the business risk going out of business for lack of employees doing the work necessary to provide products or services to customers.
Business enterprises owe themselves the ability to generate profits, above levels incurred for the costs of doing business. If they fail to provide a return on the investment for the owners (including stockowners for Corporate enterprises) the business risk going out of business for lack of resources to continue their operations.
In spite of the current government philosophy, expounded on by those (especially some elected to be our representatives in Nevada’s Legislature) that there is a corporate citizenship responsibility to pay taxes above and beyond present levels – Nevada business enterprises don’t owe government a blank check to make unsustainable spending possible. One could seriously consider the current tax system as already being flawed in its approach of singling out certain business enterprises (once deemed to be capable of paying more than their fair share) as being more equal than others when it comes to forking over their dollars to make increased state spending doable.
If business enterprises believe that they have corporate citizenship responsibilities to assist with beneficial activities for community good, those choices are voluntary options which should be considered as decisions made by those involved with the business enterprise – not forced through government authority or coercion.
Somewhere along the line members of the Nevada Legislature came to consider it their responsibility to use their offices to extract extra taxes from some businesses or self-righteously proclaim what businesses owed the state of Nevada for the privilege of doing business here.
What a fantastic recruiting tool that must be to bring business operations to Nevada! Come here so you too can pay for our desired spending for state-sponsored educational services that deliver less than 50 percent graduation rates… You owe us to relocate your business so you too can be considered as potential targets for government raids on your profitability… What a super business climate we offer. Perhaps, we should seek to do even more to burden struggling businesses, who haven’t yet gone out of business, the “privilege” to pay more? If anyone (including a Governor recently elected by a sizeable margin on a pledge of not increasing taxes) suggests that not raising taxes is a good idea, let’s marginalize their perspective and claim the world will end if Nevada government doesn’t have more to spend.
When the assessment is evaluated on who owes who, let us reconsider the foundational principles that a government of the people, by the people and for the people exist to serve people – not the other way. In spite of the leadership philosophy of the majority party, the private sector does not exist to serve the public sector.
Posted by Doug Busselman at 1/20/2011 9:56 AM 
Categories: 2011 Nevada Legislature
Tags: Nevada Tax and Spend Nevada Legislature
Categories: 2011 Nevada Legislature
Tags: Nevada Tax and Spend Nevada Legislature
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