Here’s how state could gain durable tax base

Sharon Heflin, Las Vegas

Friday, April 10, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.

I hope it is not too late to urge the Nevada Legislature to establish a stable tax base for the state. Yes, there is a recession and many people have lost their jobs. However, Nevada can no longer afford to depend upon unreliable sources of revenue such as gaming and sales taxes (the most regressive form of taxation, one that hits hardest those least able to afford it).

Instead of taking pride in Nevada’s dubious distinction as the state with the lowest taxes, it is time for the state’s leaders to put Nevada in the ranks of more progressive states that show a more responsible view of revenue generation. It is time to (1) eliminate the effects of the 1872 mining law and require mining to pay its fair share of taxes, (2) raise property taxes to a uniform rate statewide that would help to broaden and stabilize the tax base, (3) institute a tax on businesses headquartered outside the state, and (4) ensure that Clark County receives its fair share of state revenue.

Someone has defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If Nevada continues to rely on the same sources of revenue — chiefly gaming and sales taxes — Nevada residents will continually be subject to the whims of a tourist economy and find themselves in the same situation they are in today with the next and each subsequent recession. It’s time to do the right thing — not merely the easy thing that will only help get state legislators reelected.