Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Anti-tax group is still against taxes

A few days after an officer in the organization threatened to raise taxes on mining and gaming through the initiative process, the conservative Keystone Group tried to reassure everyone it still opposes taxes.

“Keystone Corporation believes that Nevada attracts new and diversified business due in large part to the absence of general corporate and individual income taxation," the statement from the board of directors read. "Therefore, Keystone opposes any proposal which would result in the imposition or raising of corporate income taxes, a margin tax or a gross receipts tax. This is and continues to be the policy of Keystone Corporation.”

This dog-bites-man statement comes after Monte Miller, a key player on Keystone who is the treasurer of the organization, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he was preparing initiatives to raise gaming and mining taxes. Business types have long chafed at those industries pushing for taxes on the general business community. It is a "poor poor pitiful me" attitude that Warren Zevon would have appreciated. Many think Miller simply wants to dissuade gaming and mining from signing on to a labor-generated initiative for a new business margins tax or to confuse the electorate with initiatives. Miller has told folks he is serious, but look at this other core element of Keystone's philosophy:

"To oppose any form of corporate income taxes or other business taxes that discourage capital investment and therefore job creation."

I wonder if anyone on that board would argue that raising taxes on mining and gaming would -- let me find the words -- discourage capital investment and therefore job creation?

More to the point, where is the statement opposing your treasurer's putative plan, Keystoners?

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy