Neal to debate gaming tax

Erin Neff

Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2000 | 9:29 a.m.

The first major debate in the District 4 state Senate race will kick off Wednesday with one candidate pitted not against his opponent, but an industry.

State Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, is set to debate Mike Sloan, vice president of Mandalay Resorts and chairman of the Nevada Resort Association, on one issue only -- the gaming tax.

Meanwhile, Neal's election opponent, Uri Clinton, wonders why the senator won't debate him.

"He's a one-issue senator," Clinton alleged in a recent interview.

But that issue makes for one of the most interesting local races in the upcoming primary.

For it isn't just Neal vs. Clinton, it's Neal vs. the state's No. 1 industry.

"This ought to be good," Neal said of Wednesday's debate. "I'm ready to come at him with information."

Neal is collecting signatures to raise the gross gaming tax 5 percent from the current 6.25 percent. The state's largest casinos would pay an 11.25 percent tax on gross gaming revenue if Neal is successful.

But Sloan, whose Mandalay Resorts include Circus Circus, Excalibur, Luxor and Mandalay Bay, will argue against raising the tax, claiming the hike will hurt the state's leading industry at a critical time for Nevada gaming.

The approval of Indian gaming in California, coupled with the added number of casinos in Las Vegas vying for gaming action, are arguments against the tax.

Neal's says his proposal, which would bring in an estimated $300 million annually from the top casinos, is simply leveling the playing field. Nevada casinos pay the lowest taxes nationwide.

And Neal's entire re-election bid reverts back to the gaming tax. He says if gaming contributed its fair share to the community, everything from housing to schools would improve and crime, traffic and pollution would be reduced due to the increased amount of money to address those problems.

The debate, sponsored by the Paradise Democratic Club, will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Culinary Union Training Center, 707 Fremont St.

Clinton, whose campaign is quietly being backed by casino interests, fired off a press release last week questioning Neal's decision to cancel a scheduled appearance at an Urban Chamber of Commerce debate.