Columnist Erin Neff: Republican lawmakers step up to necessity of taxes

Erin Neff

Friday, April 18, 2003 | 4:38 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- They're all Republican businessmen who have risen in stature because of their principles and beliefs.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Ray Rawson and Assistant Assembly Minority Leader Josh Griffin are a trio of the GOP's highest regarded.

Now they're also the highest profile leaders in the tax debate because of their call to raise taxes despite that move leading some to believe they have left their GOP principles at home.

Raggio, of Reno, who again last week publicly stated his support for tax increases, has long been heralded as someone who wouldn't budge on taxes.

GOP activist George Harris even dubs Raggio his No. 1 hero on his website saying, "Contrary to the assertions of the governor's spin doctors, we at the Republican Liberty Caucus cannot foresee Sen. Raggio ever supporting this ill-conceived tax plan."

Well, he does and will continue to support Gov. Kenny Guinn's call for new revenue -- perhaps not at the $1 billion level Guinn wants, but he'll support the bulk of it.

Raggio doesn't do this to rankle his party faithful, or just to blindly support a Republican governor. He knows the budget better than most, and also knows the state can't survive on it unless more cash is added.

Rawson, of Las Vegas, joined Raggio and Democratic leaders at a rally last week for education funding, pledging to raise the taxes needed to fund education and other programs.

Griffin, of Henderson, won the leadership position as a freshman in part because of his pro-business and limited government beliefs.

Now he's working to rally support within the Assembly Republican Caucus for a broad-based business tax, despite Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick's work against a gross receipts tax.

No one would dare label Raggio a tax-and-spender or really see Griffin as a "RINO -- Republican In Name Only" thanks to both men's rallying work for the GOP in last fall's elections.

Raggio not only secured his party's hold on the Senate, he picked up a seat. Griffin helped Republicans narrow the Democratic edge in the Assembly to 23-19, up a full seven seats from the 2001 session.

Rawson is among Raggio's closest allies, and while he has leaned left of the middle on social programs for several sessions, he is still a principled party man.

Now all three are trying to convince the Republicans under them that it's OK and, frankly, necessary to raise taxes.

The state has a projected $704 million shortfall, requiring that much in new revenues just to maintain existing services.

Guinn has included $300 million in funding -- above and beyond the deficit -- in his tax proposal.

The state's 17 school district superintendents are calling for about $900 million in funding, covering everything from teacher salaries and school books -- most of which is not in Guinn's $1 billion plan.

None of the three Republicans have specified how much they believe the state should raise in new taxes, but they have at least gotten beyond the "never, no, no, no," rhetoric a few of their colleagues still use.

Any tax will require a two-thirds majority to pass, and each party has plenty of fence-sitters and those who dislike particular taxes.

Nowhere are those voices louder than in the Senate Republican Caucus.

While Griffin may be able to bring a majority of his Assembly caucus to the tax-raising dance, Raggio and Rawson are, thus far, waltzing alone.

At least they're in step with what Nevada needs.