Okay, Let’s Talk Reform
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
If reform of Nevada’s tax structure meant more than, “We want to invent new taxes and raise the ones we’ve already got” – perhaps the conversation of those reform ideas would be circulated through the respective committee’s of the Nevada Legislature. That of course is unlikely, since the politics of getting new taxes and raising the ones we already have is more important than the policy considerations.
We’re only a week into the process and we’ve already been given the chance of witnessing several spokespersons for the higher tax crowd bring their small children to the witness table, crying and fussing while Mom told lawmakers about how tough things are to make ends meet. Yes, things are tough…unemployment and a host of other extremely difficult factors are inflicting significant hardships. Raising taxes to give the state of Nevada more spending will not make that scenario better.
Let’s not forget that in the 2009 Nevada Legislature taxes were raised by over a Billion dollars. What was the result? First, in only a few months after the tax increases took effect the Nevada Legislature had to come back to a special session to fix the $900 Million hole that their over-spending caused (thinking that they were actually going to get the Billion dollars of income they sought with the tax increases). Second, for some reason, which nobody seems to equate – unemployment soared after the tax increases imposed on wages. Perhaps Nevada business enterprises aren’t hiring or able to keep employees on the payroll for other reasons than not being able to afford to pay them within the tight profit margins that exist – but, that might just be a private sector bias getting in the way.
Supposedly, based on the viewpoint of the majority party and their supporters for higher tax burdens, the problem we have in the state is not having a big enough tax load. If we raise taxes, impose new taxes and further increase state spending…we will be able to bring about improved economic prosperity. Our education system will perform miracles with the half of our non-graduating high school students getting PhD degrees and companies from all over the world flocking to set up shop here because they too want to pay taxes and be part of a state culture that has an appropriate emphasis on government spending.
If we were to get around to honestly laying the subject of tax structure reform on the infamous “table” we’re supposed to come to in order to publicly discuss things – perhaps that same conversation could also include reform of how state spending is carried out and reform of our education system so that we weren’t just pouring more of our tax dollars down the drain. If all we’re going to get is a bigger tax bill – there’s not much reason for believing in “reform”.
Until we get the reform of state spending (which is actually out there in the priority budget idea that Governor Sandoval has presented) and reform of the K-12 and Higher Education operations of our state…talk about the need for tax reform is a hollow excuse hiding behind the political agenda of “We want to invent new taxes and raise the ones we’ve already got.”
If reform of Nevada’s tax structure meant more than, “We want to invent new taxes and raise the ones we’ve already got” – perhaps the conversation of those reform ideas would be circulated through the respective committee’s of the Nevada Legislature. That of course is unlikely, since the politics of getting new taxes and raising the ones we already have is more important than the policy considerations.
We’re only a week into the process and we’ve already been given the chance of witnessing several spokespersons for the higher tax crowd bring their small children to the witness table, crying and fussing while Mom told lawmakers about how tough things are to make ends meet. Yes, things are tough…unemployment and a host of other extremely difficult factors are inflicting significant hardships. Raising taxes to give the state of Nevada more spending will not make that scenario better.
Let’s not forget that in the 2009 Nevada Legislature taxes were raised by over a Billion dollars. What was the result? First, in only a few months after the tax increases took effect the Nevada Legislature had to come back to a special session to fix the $900 Million hole that their over-spending caused (thinking that they were actually going to get the Billion dollars of income they sought with the tax increases). Second, for some reason, which nobody seems to equate – unemployment soared after the tax increases imposed on wages. Perhaps Nevada business enterprises aren’t hiring or able to keep employees on the payroll for other reasons than not being able to afford to pay them within the tight profit margins that exist – but, that might just be a private sector bias getting in the way.
Supposedly, based on the viewpoint of the majority party and their supporters for higher tax burdens, the problem we have in the state is not having a big enough tax load. If we raise taxes, impose new taxes and further increase state spending…we will be able to bring about improved economic prosperity. Our education system will perform miracles with the half of our non-graduating high school students getting PhD degrees and companies from all over the world flocking to set up shop here because they too want to pay taxes and be part of a state culture that has an appropriate emphasis on government spending.
If we were to get around to honestly laying the subject of tax structure reform on the infamous “table” we’re supposed to come to in order to publicly discuss things – perhaps that same conversation could also include reform of how state spending is carried out and reform of our education system so that we weren’t just pouring more of our tax dollars down the drain. If all we’re going to get is a bigger tax bill – there’s not much reason for believing in “reform”.
Until we get the reform of state spending (which is actually out there in the priority budget idea that Governor Sandoval has presented) and reform of the K-12 and Higher Education operations of our state…talk about the need for tax reform is a hollow excuse hiding behind the political agenda of “We want to invent new taxes and raise the ones we’ve already got.”
Posted by Doug Busselman at 2/13/2011 7:03 AM 
Categories: 2011 Nevada Legislature
Tags: Nevada Nevada Budget Taxing and Spending Governor Sandoval Nevada Legislature
Categories: 2011 Nevada Legislature
Tags: Nevada Nevada Budget Taxing and Spending Governor Sandoval Nevada Legislature
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