Senators to offer new tax plan

Erin Neff

Thursday, March 13, 2003 | 9:40 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The first alternative from lawmakers to Gov. Kenny Guinn's tax plan will be offered by two state senators Friday.

It comes after months of work on a way to raise revenue without imposing a gross receipts tax on business.

Sens. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, and Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, said they will introduce a comprehensive tax proposal involving a 2 percent increase in the room tax, a sales tax on some services and a larger increase in the gross gaming tax.

Care said the bill, which is about 190 pages, has already gone through three drafts and is being scrutinized carefully to ensure the elements proposed by the senators are constitutional and would bring in enough revenue to fund the state budget.

The Care-Amodei bill as it is known in the capital does not include any new taxes, but simply raises the rates or implementation of existing taxes.

By the end of the week three comprehensive tax proposals will have been introduced to the Legislature -- Guinn's, the task force's and Care-Amodei.

Other proposals are also in the works, including one from Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, which increases some taxes but also cuts some services and programs.

Assembly Democrats have also come up with some tax options. Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, wants any increase in the property tax to be accompanied with a $50,000 across-the-board exemption for all property taxpayers. That would force the tax burden more heavily onto businesses with larger property values.

Assemblyman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, today announced he is also working on a tax plan. His plan would cut in half the current motor vehicle privilege tax to give consumers some relief at the same time it increases the room tax and property taxes and removes some tax exemptions.