Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Budget deal contains ‘revenue enhancements’

The Las Vegas Sun has obtained a copy of the plan to cut $341.75 million from the budget.

It cobbles together cuts and financial gimmicks, including a $160 million loan and - perhaps surprisingly - a few million in "revenue enhancements."

Are those tax increases?

Now, legislators have to pass them.

The solutions include taking $76.7 million from non-general fund accounts to put toward the general fund.

Of that money:

- $14 million to general fund that currently goes to highway projects.

- $1 million of unused pollution control funds.

- $2.5 million reduce higher education maintenance projects.

- $25 million from account used to reimburse hospitals for coverage of

indigent people.

- $12 million would take mining tax money that would otherwise go to rural

counties.

$160 million loan from local government account.

Budget reductions of $72.8 million including:

- $1 million from Economic Development and Diversification.

- $1.3 million from Commission on Economic Development.

- $2.83 million from Tourism Commission.

- $4 million from Higher Education fund.

- $851,000 Tobacco Fund

- $6.8 million Medicaid

- $1.5 million revert Medicaid drug payments from state to counties.

- $2.2 million cuts to personal care attendants.

- $900,000 from a senior prescription plan.

- $3.95 million contingency funds from Temporary Assistance to Needy

Families

- $11.4 million from reduced medication costs for the adult mentally ill.

- $30 million from Highway Projects, and allow the fund to bond the same amount.

And then there are $32.2 million in "revenue enhancements." Are those tax or fee increases? We'll see.

Those increases include:

- Reducing amount business are allowed to keep for administering the sales, liquor, and cigarette accounts from 0.5 percent to 0.25 percent from now to June 30. That would raise $2.5 million.

- $1.8 million from taking 1 percent of the rental car tax that currently goes to car rental companies.

- $28 million. Advance payment of next year's net proceeds of minerals tax.

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