State deficit to be debated today on Cox channels 1, 39

Friday, Feb. 28, 2003 | 5:06 a.m.

Key lawmakers and tax experts will discuss how the state should solve its expected $700 million deficit in a live, two-hour television program beginning at noon Sunday.

The program, which will be shown live at on Las Vegas ONE, Cox cable channels 1 and 39, will include Republicans and Democrats, business leaders and experts to discuss the situation the state is in and how the problem can be solved.

Gov. Kenny Guinn has a plan that addresses a deficit this year and a future deficit by raising about $1 billion in taxes over two years. His plan includes raising taxes on alcohol and tobacco, upping the property tax, adding a tax on amusements and instituting a tax on some businesses' gross receipts.

The governor says he has cut all he can from the state budget, and other tax proponents agree with the need for more money.

Tax opponents, including the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and some Republicans, have argued against the plan, especially the provision to tax business gross receipts over $450,000. Others have questioned whether the governor has made his case for the tax increase.

Las Vegas ONE's program will have three segments: a discussion on whether the state has a problem, how the state should handle it and a question-and-answer segment with a live studio audience.

Participants include Guy Hobbs, the chairman of the Governor's Task Force on Tax Policy in Nevada; Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas; Assembly Assistant Minority Leader Josh Griffin, R-Henderson; Mike Sloan, a Mandalay Resorts executive and member of the tax task force; Robert Forbuss, a member of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce; Steve Miller, chairman of the economics department at University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Mark Daigle, chief executive officer of Colonial Bank of Nevada.

Political columnist Jon Ralston will moderate the discussions.

Las Vegas ONE is owned and operated by KLAS Channel 8, Cox Communications and the Las Vegas Sun, which is owned by the Greenspun family of Las Vegas. Brian Greenspun, president of the Greenspun Corporation, was a member of the tax task force.