One man’s campaign to upend Nevada’s tax structure

Las Vegas Sun ^ | Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 | 2:01 a.m. | By Michael Squires

[redreno]

A Las Vegas attorney will launch a legal and political effort this week aimed at establishing and funding a parallel state budget, beyond the reach of the Legislature and governor.

Kermitt Waters seeks to place on the November ballot a proposed constitutional amendment calling for a sweeping overhaul of Nevada’s tax system — abolishing property taxes on single-family homes among other things while identifying and allocating new tax revenue.

Waters said last week his proposal is borne of frustration with the status quo in Carson City. The state’s 63 lawmakers represent the powerful interests who fund their campaigns, he said, not the voters who elect them.

“The people of Nevada don’t have a Legislature. Mining and gaming have a Legislature,” Waters said. “If the Legislature could get their hands on this money, none of this would ever happen.”

[kingu]

I always think that posters do a disservice when they leave out really important items by using the excerpt features on FreeRepublic.

The meat of the story: His agenda is to remove those pesky conservative objections to looting more of the state's treasury for public employees, hand out money to ‘green’ companies, buy the votes of more people through more freebies, give big payouts to unions through projects, and make it easier to circumvent the electoral process to enshrine even more of the liberal agenda into the state constitution.

All through targeting of ‘big business’ in the state of Nevada through higher taxes.

[rellimpank]

—your assessment of this is correct—

—mining and gambling are still able to make a profit in Nevada and he wants to take it and buy votes for the left-wing agenda———

[CarmichaelPatriot]

...that and make it easier to alter the state budget and political processes through initiatives. Isn’t that how the hole in California got dug?

[businessprofessor]

The comments supporting this initiative effort are scary. The mining companies are easy targets. I see Nevadans anxious to steal their hard earned income. The aspects of the proposal dealing with populist giveaways is the most frightening. This leftist wants to enrich teachers and renewable energy companies. Teachers in Nevade have an incrediblre retirement package, job security, and many workplace restrictions to make their jobs easier.

[runninglips]

I can get behind a move to abolish the property tax on occupied homes. It is a sin against our nation, that the place that you live is taxed every year in perpetuity.

[USNBandit]

The first problem with Nevada is that their tax base is extremely vulnerable to the ups and downs of the tourism business. The second problem is that they always seem to budget for the good years.

Overall, I found property taxes in Nevada were pretty reasonable. This guy wants to buy votes with a property tax repeal in order to sock it to the mining industry. A gross receipts tax is incredibly regressive and a burden on business. One business with more than $1 million a month is Allegiant Airlines that is based out of Vegas. If the price of fuel spikes they might not be making money, but with this proposal they would still be paying taxes.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I have no problem with an extraction tax, jut like most other mining states. I they want to take part of Nevada out of Nevada, let them pay a little bit.

Nevada mining companies are getting off easy compared to those who are paying taxes.

If they don’t like it, let them move their mines to another state.