Senate bill would send some casino taxes to state

Single Sign-On: You can use Facebook account to log in to LasVegasSun.com. (We will use your first and last name from your profile.)
Trusted Commenting: Facebook connected users automatically become trusted commenters.

Thursday, April 7, 2005 | 9:17 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Senate rejected a bill Wednesday that would have increased taxes on alcohol, suggesting instead to raise cigarettes taxes even more than previously proposed.

The Senate also kept part of the tax bill that would steer some local casino tax revenue to the state, despite objections from lawmakers from counties and communities with riverboats.

Sen. Murray Clark, R-Indianapolis, said it was better to remove the proposed alcohol tax increase and instead change the proposed 15-cent cigarette tax to 19 cents. He said it would make fewer consumer groups pay for sin tax increases while keeping the proposed budget intact.

The excise tax on beer would have doubled under the previous proposal, meaning about a penny more per can of beer. Clark said that increase would have hurt Indiana because other state rates are not that high.

"Indiana would have the largest beer excise tax in the region," he said.