Taxes
Under-the-radar taxation
While recent attention has focused on the state's revenue shortfall and the related debate over whether to increase taxes, the fact that state lawmakers have already raised taxes has gone relatively unreported in the media.
Read moreReal Impact
We have heard the words "economic impact" a lot lately in the news. "Bob's Public Relations Firm" has an $X economic impact in Nevada, says the newspaper. But what does that mean?
Ruling class becoming too big for britches
Critics and big-government advocates have continuously derided Gov. Jim Gibbons' repeated pledge for "no new taxes." These critics are more concerned with the wealth and size of the ruling government class than they are with the welfare of Nevada families. They are calling for large tax increases during a deepening recession.
Spending limits needed
As previously mentioned in this space, had a Tax And Spending Control (TASC) amendment been part of Nevada's constitution – a measure akin to the one State Senator Bob Beers repeatedly proposed – it would have eliminated most of Nevada's current budget shortfall. That's because TASC would have limited government spending increases to the rate of population growth plus inflation.
The spending problem
Each time we hear about budget projections, the news is worse. The state is taking in less revenue, so that means more budget cuts. For the big-spending crowd, the response to this news is to call for tax increases. But the reality is that Nevada's budget revenue problem has little to do with either revenue or the tax structure.
Imaginary budget cuts
The Economic Forum has released its revenue projections, and the worst-case scenario posits an approximately $200 million decrease over the next biennium. Once again, calls for raising taxes have ensued. And once again, NPRI must remind taxpayers that our budgetary shortfall is the direct result of fiscal mismanagement.
Higher (priced) Education
The Greenspun family, which owns and operates the Las Vegas Sun, has donated $37 million to UNLV to put the family's name on a very expensive building.
Funding failure
The Reno Gazette-Journal published an article detailing a recently released report, by the Institute for Higher Education Policy, which claims that Nevada needs to boost its higher education spending in order to improve its economy.
Don't play with fire
This weekend, a commentary by Geoffrey Lawrence, a fiscal policy analyst at NPRI, appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, criticizing the ridiculously over-the-top pay of Clark County firemen. Fortunately for the firemen, their PR department has done a good job of convincing many people that they, like teachers and police officers, are sacrosanct entities and beyond human criticism.
Solving Nevada's budget shortfall
Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Jim Rogers has outlined his plan for increasing government revenue. He proposes a mixture of raising fees, raising taxes, borrowing and begging.
