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Feb. 22, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Study shows how tax burden has increased

By SEAN WHALEY
REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
ON THE WEB:

Full report (.pdf)

CARSON CITY -- A research group announced Thursday a new report that it says shows how the state's politicians have secretly increased the tax burden on Nevada residents over the past three decades.

The study, issued by the Nevada Policy Research Institute, is called "Getting Plucked in Nevada: How Government Covertly Increases Your Tax Burden."

"Tax-consuming special interests in the state have successfully stripped away much of the state's unique taxpayer-friendly heritage," said author Steven Miller, the institute's vice president for policy.

Miller said the study shows how Nevada political leaders have increased the tax burden and eroded Nevada's status as a safe haven from higher taxes that have been imposed elsewhere.

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    • According to the study, Nevadans' state and local tax burden as a percentage of income was 8.6 percent in 1980. By this year it had risen to 10.1 percent, an increase overall of 17.4 percent.

    One of what Miller calls the most dubious examples of Nevada tax policy is the 1981 "tax shift," in which homeowners were given reductions in their property taxes in exchange for hikes in sales and other taxes.

    After a few years had passed, however, the property tax burden was higher than before the shift while all the other taxes also were much higher, Miller said.

    The report also focuses on how many of Nevada's taxes are misleadingly labeled as "fees."

    Miller said one answer to this escalation in taxes is more transparency on spending and taxation for taxpayers.



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    bb wrote on February 22, 2008 03:05 PM: Keep in mind that the sales tax on new equiptment to the big casino projets has been forgiven. Small business gets no break. As an example, if the schools are short money it is because City Centre did not have to pay the 70 million in sales tax on the new equiptment being installed. There are other projects that got the same break. I Think this was forgiven by the school board because they had enough that day.


    Steve wrote on February 22, 2008 12:37 PM: UNLVStud,

    The increased "fees" at UNLV are NOT taxes. They only go to the corrupt administration of that facility. That's the money Jim Rogers used to get his treatment in California. If you're really a student there, then you should be the first one to go up to the administration and insist they send you back to grade school so you can learn the difference. You obviously don't have the mental capacity to be in a college environment.


    David wrote on February 22, 2008 12:02 PM: Everyone's taxes are going up, except for the gaming industry. Who'd a thunk it?


    Don Evans wrote on February 22, 2008 11:54 AM: More libertarian nonsense? If you only want to be responsible for those public services you use, then move to an enclosed lot in the middle of the desert, and leave the rest of us alone.

    It was the lack of these "expensive" services, i.e. regulations and enforcement, that allowed the Enron and Worldcom folks to swindle investors of hundreds of millions. Most recently, it was this same lack of government, in the libertarian way, that allowed a discrete number of very wealthy finance CEO's to singlehandedly cause our current recession (yes, you heard it here first) through the use of sub-prime lending practices. Have you seen your home values recently?

    Taxes have a purpose, and like so many other things in life, they require balance. "Tax and spend" isn't the way to go, any more than those who espouse the total elimination of government and a return to Locke's "state of nature" or Spencer's "Social Darwinism". Can't anyone in this state talk sense; and balance?


    Jake Felt wrote on February 22, 2008 11:49 AM: FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY PEOPLE! If this is the case we are looking at probably the lowest increase of ANY State in the nation save Alaska. Leave it to the RJ to spin things the other way, and random libertarian whackos to gripe about that. The fact is we have rediculously low taxes here and that is why our state is struggling in education, healthcare, crazy loons running lose on every corner, crime, bad transportation. You can't complain about how bad things are and then complain about paying ANY money to fix the problems. You libertarians need to move to Montana, sorry folks but the Californians have taken over (I'm from Oregon myself ... still a carpetbagger I guess).


    UNLVStud wrote on February 22, 2008 11:00 AM: Fees = Taxes? Someone alert the governor! He still doesn't believe raising "fees" violates his idiotic "No New Taxes" policy! He's just another republican claiming to be a fiscal conservative but really isn't anything of the sort.


    Dudepayingtoomanytaxes wrote on February 22, 2008 09:52 AM: 1. Eliminate defined benefit retirement plans and guaranteed free health coverage for government employees. Give them a 401K and let them scramble for health insurance coverage when they retire like everybody else now working in America.

    2. Make every government employee post their spending records on the internet every month. There is no reason why every citizen cannot see the Governor's state issued credit card statement every month along with every other Government employee.

    3. Make our gaming taxes and hotel room taxes near the same as most other states. Right now it is less then half what most other resort states collect. If the gaming industry is against this then lets put in a state lottery. We probably should do both.

    4. Make the school districts spend at least 50% of their budget in the class room and not on inflated lazy administrative functions.

    This is just a start... we could go on for every with this thing.


    Denise M wrote on February 22, 2008 07:32 AM: Always easier to spend someone else's money, isn't it? Nevada is no longer what it used to be, and that is a shame.