Petition seeks big increase in liquor, beer taxes

CARSON CITY -- A proposal to raise the tax on liquor and beer anywhere from 208 to nearly 600 percent has been revived by an initiative petition.

Called the "nickel-a-drink" plan, it would funnel the higher tax revenues to drug and alcohol prevention, treatment and rehabilitation programs.

Vil Paskevicius, program director at the treatment center of the Economic Opportunity Board in Clark County, said the casino industry blocked the bill in the 1997 Legislature and now a group of treatment centers is trying another attack.

But Harvey Whittemore, lobbyist for the gaming and liquor industries, predicts the voters and the Legislature will reject the warmed over proposal.

"If these programs need to be funded and we support them, then the general fund should be used," Whittemore said, adding the general taxpayer should support these programs, not one segment of the economy.

Backers of the petition need to gather 46,764 signatures of registered voters and 10 percent of the voters in 13 of the 17 counties to get the petition on the November ballot. If successful, the proposed law would be presented to the 1999 Legislature.

If the Legislature rejected or modified the plan, the issue would be on the 2000 election ballot.

The petition proposes boosting the tax on beer from nine cents to 62 cents per gallon -- a 589 percent increase. Taxes on liquor, wine and cordials would jump anywhere from 208 to 284 percent.

The bill in 1997 got out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee but died in the Assembly Taxation Committee.

Paskevicius argues the number of drug and alcohol abuse cases are skyrocketing and more beds are needed. "We have a 90-day waiting list and the only reason it's not longer is because people get tired and don't want to wait any longer," he said.

The EOB facility has 36 beds with the stay for one person averaging 68 days. "Most of our people come out of the criminal justice system," Paskevicius said. "At least while they are in here, they are not ripping you and I off. They are productive for this period of time."

The EOB center in Clark County has not grown while the population has tripled which proves the programs are successful, Paskevicius said.

This petition, he said, was backed by other treatment centers in the state. It was filed with the secretary of state's office Thursday and people were signing up Friday.

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