Letter: Gaming pays its share of taxes

Friday, July 5, 2002 | 3:44 a.m.

I am puzzled by Erin Neff's June 23 column in the Sun.

Ms. Neff reviewed the Nevada Resort Association's newly issued Fact Book and erroneously concluded that gaming is trying to shirk its responsibilities as a corporate citizen and place the burden for new taxes on the backs of the "average Joe." She is mistaken. In fact, gaming has offered to pay its fair share of new taxes.

Certainly Ms. Neff knows that Nevada's gaming industry pays all the same taxes as other businesses. As the state's largest industry, gaming pays more property, sales, and business activity taxes than other industries.

Unlike other Nevada businesses, gaming also pays a significant tax on its gross, and it pays myriad business and licensing fees that are unique to our industry. Mining and insurance are the only other industries singled out to pay additional taxes specific to their industries.

Any changes in Nevada's tax policy obviously impacts gaming. We know that the state has financial needs, and gaming has offered to be a part of the solution. However, other sectors of the business community must also participate.

It is ironic that a Review-Journal editorial on June 23 criticized Sun editor Brian Greenspun for proposing that the state's citizens, not businesses, should fix the state's fiscal woes through the imposition of a personal income tax.

The NRA's tax policy is straightforward, fair, and does not target Nevada citizens. Our policy statement recognizes the state's need to raise more money. It pledges that gaming will "pay its fair share in the same manner, and to the same extent, as any other Nevada business." It calls for new taxes to be "equally distributed, broad-based and measure taxpayers' ability to pay."

And the policy states that "new taxes should not be aimed at any individual citizens, and appropriate safeguards or exemptions should be put in place to help Nevada's small business owners."

BILL BIBLE

Editor's note: The writer is president of the Nevada Resort Association.