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Las Vegas legislator proposes business tax
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Peggy Pierce
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
CARSON CITY -- A Las Vegas legislator plans to introduce a bill at the 2011 Legislature for a broad-based business tax to reduce an expected $3 billion state budget shortfall.
Democratic Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce wants the state to impose an income tax on businesses with exemptions that would allow smaller businesses not to pay anything. Nevada needs a taxing system "like those in more than 20 other states" since the current system has not produced the revenue needed to fund education and government properly.
Convincing legislators to approve her plan will be a "rough road," she said Wednesday.
The Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, a liberal-leaning organization that represents unions and other groups, has been advocating a business profits tax as high as 7 percent and wants to change how the gold mining industry is taxed.
Pierce, long associated with Culinary Local 226, is resources coordinator for the United Labor Agency of Nevada. She has served in the Assembly since 2003.
Her move to add a business tax was criticized by Right Pride, a conservative, gay, pro-business organization in Las Vegas.
"If Peggy Pierce believes that taxing those businesses surviving this economic crisis will put people back to work, she is sadly mistaken," said Mark Ciavola, the Right Pride president.
Nevada employers have cut 200,000 jobs in the past three years, and the state's unemployment rate is 14.2 percent, highest in the nation.
The Nevada Economic Forum determined last week that the state will have $5.33 billion in revenue over the next two-year budget cycle, which is about $1 billion less than current spending. But state agencies have requested $8.3 billion in spending.
In the 2009 session, lawmakers increased the sales tax rate by 0.35 of a percentage point. Everyone, including businesses, pays the higher rate. State workers also have been required to take one unpaid furlough day per month.
But these changes will expire June 30, unless reauthorized by the Legislature. Gov.-elect Brian Sandoval has said repeatedly he will veto any bill to reauthorize the increase.
Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.
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Everybody that moved here from california in the last 20 years move back and pay your taxes there,takes care of Nevadas and californias problems.
And further, all this pissin and moanin about "my taxes" "my taxes"! Whatever happened to the notion of "fair share", my parents, of the greatest generation - you know the ones that saved the world - would never ever complain about paying their "fair share" of taxes. And the same goes for me...I am always willing to pay my "fair share"...in fact I think it's patriotic to pay taxes. The shear display of greed in America sickens me to my core. For those who want America back - pay your "fair share" of taxes and please please please turn off FAUX NEWS. That propoganda operation is run by an Australian, partnered with the Saudi Royal family, who is propiin us that it's a good thing to send the part of our incomes that are not TAXED to the oil Sheiks and Chinese industrialists. America/Nevada - please wake up.
Reviewing these comments proves the assertion that Americans/Nevadans have been dumbed down with pure propoganda to the point where we are endangering our own country. Regarding the article, I say "Go Peggy Go" because a broad based business tax - written right is exactly what we need to help solve our current fiscal crisis. And Ed! Regarding the gay thing. Why would you quote an unnamed Right Pride source, which is an out of state led Tea Party group, as a so called gay organization.
If you wanted an opinion about how the Las Vegas/Nevada gay business community feels about Peggy's common sense approach to our Nevada budget crisis, you should have contacted Lambda Business Association, which is the primary group of gay business owners that has been organized in Las Vegas for over twenty years. I think a correction or clarification is in order!
.. TAXEDOUT ... Once again touts his tiered SISOLAK talking points. He fills that all you need is a GED to become a FF. He has been educated in the past over his lack of knowledge on this subject. Maby his anger comes from his GED and failed FF entrance exam.
"..."like those in more than 20 other states"..." Bankrupt states like California, soon to be bankrupt NJ and NY? Any 'new tax' imposed on any business will only be passed on to the consumer. What constitutes a small business these days? Gross receipts - not NET receipts - of $250K or more - Obama's line in the sand?
Aformer and Slam, you both suffer from the delusion that everything the gov't does is essential and operates at 100% efficiency. If you believe that, I've got some prime casino sites in Goldfield I'd like to sell you. Have either of you ever run anything? Slam, you are correct that education is the largest line item in the state budget ($3.6B out of a total $6.4B). Of that $3.6B, $2.5B goes to the Distributive School Account (to the schools essentially). No room to cut? Do you think it is essential for the education of our children that we have school psychologists on staff making over $100K per year? Or how about this: take a look at transparentnevada.com to see public sector salaries. Look at Clark County School District. The highest paid employees are administrators! The salaries are ranked, and I looked through at least the first 600 and didn't see any teachers listed. Is cutting the number of or the amount of pay for administrators going to reduce the quality of our kids' education? Actually, it might be the opposite. But what happens whenever there is talk of cutting a school's budget? The first thing to go is football games, then books or whatever people most care about. The administrative budget always seems to get a pass. As far as the prisons, do you think Joe Arpaio would be able to suggest any cuts? Do you think maybe prisoners could work off some of their debt to society thus enabling some cuts in other budgets? Please. You guys are cracking me up.
"Liberalism is an essentially feminine, submissive world view. Perhaps a better adjective than feminine is infantile. It is the world view of men who do not have the moral toughness, the spiritual strength to stand up and do single combat with life, who cannot adjust to the reality that the world is not a huge, pink-and-blue, padded nursery in which the lions lie down with the lambs and everyone lives happily ever after." ~ Dr. William Pierce
As a business owner, this (along with other shots taken at business) makes it more difficult to hire anyone. Business is under continuous attack (legal or tax), and I suspect that is hurting the American economy.
Peire should focus on those who do not pay anything into the system, and leave struggling businesses alone.
REW, I seriously doubt your credentials. Your analysis is more like Sanford and Sons and not Stanford. Most agencies in Nevada are funded last in the country. There are no non-essentials left. Like I said, education is the biggest part of the budget. None of your ideas play in that arena. Your lack of knowledge in that area is showing. The privatization of services harken back to the fascist regime of Nazi Germany. By the way, cutting services during a recession leads directly to a deep and lengthy depression, i.e. Hoover's economic policies during the recession. That would be something they would have taught you at Stanford. Funny, the last building construction during Hoover's term was at Stanford. The building is known as Hoover's last erection. By the way, stop making things up.