Clearing up fiscal conservative views

Chuck Muth, Las Vegas

Saturday, May 15, 2010 | 2:03 a.m.

As a proud member of what the Las Vegas Sun referred to in its Thursday editorial as the “vitriolic anti-government, anti-tax crowd,” please allow me to address a couple of points, sans vitriol.

One, we fiscal conservatives are not anti-government; we’re pro-limited government.

Two, we fiscal conservatives are not anti-tax; we’re anti-tax hike. We believe it’s not just time for government to do more with less, but to do less with less.

That said, the Sun’s editorial also suggested that we oppose adjusting Nevada’s tax system to provide fairness. That’s also not exactly accurate.

We are open to, though highly skeptical of, proposals to “broaden” Nevada’s tax base — provided such proposals are considered in a revenue-neutral fashion. Unfortunately, many on the big-government side of the equation continue to use tax reform as a fig leaf for tax hikes. We’re not going to fall for that one.

If those who think Nevada’s tax structure needs to be adjusted to make it more fair and stable would separate tax reform efforts from tax hike efforts, they just might find more fiscal conservatives willing to, as the Carson City saying goes, come to the table for a serious, open-minded discussion.

The writer is president of Citizen Outreach, a grassroots advocacy organization promoting limited government.