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Nevada Assembly GOP leader: Consider tax on food
Published Monday, Aug. 23, 2010 | 1:28 p.m.
Updated Monday, Aug. 23, 2010 | 2:52 p.m.
Pete Goicoechea
Voters should be asked to impose a statewide sales tax on food to help fill a swelling budget deficit, the Republican minority leader in the Nevada Assembly suggested Monday.
"I believe that we should have had a 2 percent sales tax on food on the ballot this fall," Assemblyman Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, said on KRNV-TV's Nevada Newsmakers.
Tax on food not intended for immediate consumption is banned by the Nevada Constitution. Amending the constitution requires passage by voters in two successive general elections.
Nevada is facing a projected $3 billion deficit for the two-year budget cycle that begins July 1.
Goicoechea, who said he considered himself a "conventional" Republican, said state programs and services will face "significant cuts" but also reiterated a previous statement that new taxes are likely _ given Nevada's dire projected shortfall.
"I do believe we're going to have to have some revenues increased," he said.
Nevada's two main gubernatorial candidates -- Republican Brian Sandoval and Democrat Rory Reid -- have said they will not raise taxes, even though the projected shortfall is roughly half the state's existing two-year budget.
Democrats currently hold a 28-14 majority in the Assembly and a 12-9 edge in the state Senate. Goicoechea said his goal as minority leader is to narrow, if not strip, the Democrats of their super-majority status in the lower chamber and give the GOP caucus "enough clout" in budget negotiations to be relevant.
It will be up to the winner of November's gubernatorial race to present a budget for lawmakers to consider when they convene in February.
"At the end of the day, then we'll start with the conversation, 'Will this budget fly?'" he said.
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If I had to place a bet today, it'd be "not gonna happen."
Seems like the hotels could just impose a "food convenience fee" or "tax" and split it with the government to bilk tourists even more. And tax those $4 of bottles in the room more. Tourists love that.
Looks like a mugshot from the 70's.
good idea. it would help restaurants, and help the fight against obesity, I would make food stamp purchases exempt.
Grow-up we need more money. I'm sure this guy doesn't want more taxes, but we need money. legalize, pot, prostitution etc.
Also, issue a Nevada currency made of silver and gold.
I agree.
How about just tax unhealthy food, junk food, fast food, etc... All the fat people are the ones causing the majority of the problems, let them pay more.
How much more regressive can Nevada get? If you can think of anything more lame brained than a tax on food, please post it on The Great Ruins of Las Vegas.
Tom Shermpsun
The Great Ruins of Las Vegas Tour (on Facebook)
2% tax on food? What does average bachelor spend? $1000 a month on food? thats $20. Woopee. If you can't afford that you shouldn't own a computer and be typing on here.
Do it! do it! do it!. Makes sense. Only if all the money goes towards the debt, and not the greedy politicians or 'committee's'
I agree -- it's a simple solution. Glad to see the legislators thinking outside of the box and recognizing that "no new taxes" is not a solution.
By the way, it's also time to go after those miners...
If they do impose a tax on food, the grocery stores could at least assist by allowing double coupons up to a certain amount to help offset the net increase to consumers while still generating more revenue for the state.
This guys name sounds like a disease, a plague on the middle class. How about a tax on golf balls, Tax fake rich cowboys ranches.
Oh say it ain't so!!!!!!!! A republican that wants to raise taxes. What is this world coming to!
Lets take the food out of chidrens mouths - rich no accounts
Put a sales tax on services instead of food.
I am so tired of these tax and spend Republicans. If it's not starting a trillion dollar unfunded war in Iraq, it's taxing a necessity like food.
What a bunch of jerks!
Tom Shermspun, you beat me to it. This is a natural idea for a Republican - a tax that eats up a greater percentage of a poor family's income than of a rich family's income, and that they can't avoid. How about an increased registration fee on all cars over three years old? Or a "convenience tax" on purchases made at convenience stores? We gotta increase taxes on the working poor, so we don't have to do something awful, like create a progressive income tax that falls disproportionately on those benefiting the most from participation in our society!
Of course, tax food. Don't tax the people that got rich here. Tax the people who eat.
Just another attempt by a Republican to totally and utterly destroy the middle class. Just so they can continue to pander to the very rich.
The Republican Party does this on a national level and now here's a guy who wants to continue this losing party politic strategy in Nevada.
Look for something else.
Just because people have to eat to survive doesn't mean you should tax the crap out of them.
Last time I checked, you don't have to gamble to survive. Raise the taxes on rich casino owners. Raise the gaming tax.
This may sound one sided, but I don't care. Take it out on the tourists. Not the locals. Don't tax us simply because we're guilty of trying to...survive.
If this guy continues with this line of thought, it's going to be really easy to slam the door in the face of every Republican who is seeking office in November.
If this is their rocket science idea to solve things, then they really don't need to be in any kind of power at all. Instead, they need to wander around aimlessly in the desert for at least the next generation or so. Or at least until they can figure out how to help people, and not pander to the rich and the corporations to simply gain power, money and glory...but do absolutely nothing at all for the average Nevadan voter to deserve the privilege of being elected into office.
Let them sit on sofas and watch non-stop Fox News for a couple of years. At least til they figure out that Nevada is a State that elects people into office to represent the people...and not themselves.
@MRED just what we need - legalize pot and prostitution. While I agree it would bring income into the state, EMPLOYERS wil lbe hard pressed to move their businesses here with this atmosphere. I can here it now.."Gee boss, I was out sick yesterday cause....."
If we all want to diversify, then we need an image to go with it and while we know it WON'T be a clean whistle one, we can do betetr byt cleaning it up just a little bit
Make people who live here register vehicles in Nevada and buy license tag. There are thousands of these people. All we have to do is enforce an existing law.
When $400 million a MONTH in gold bullion flies out of the state on private jets virtually UNTAXED?!?
Today I partly agree with Colin. There is no true Republican party in Nevada. As you can see we have Democrats and Democrat lite (aka GOP). It's amazing that in 1993 Harry Reid stood on the floor of the Senate and argued that anchor babies shouldn't be given citizenship rights and now he labels those same opinions "extreme." That's classic irony in my book. Oh...but it's ok because he "apologized" for it in 1999.
How about more fiscal responsibility from Legislators and less taxes on all of us? You & I make choices every day on what we will spend our money on and what we won't. That's called "common sense." We don't, unless we are bent on bankruptcy, spend more than we can afford or repay.
legalize drugs and prostitution and tax the living daylights out of them. double the tax on alcohol and license plates. charge a head tax on every tourist and double the landing fees at mccarran. make them bleed.
I agree with Woody. Go after the license plates.
Start a race-tax.
Natives 0%
Whites 5%
Blacks 10%
Asians 25.5%
Mexicans 50%
Other 75%
We're finally starting, as I predicted, to hit rock bottom. What state has the highest food sales tax? Our clone, Mississipi. Yep, the state with most dropouts in the county.
I think, with any luck, we can surpass the big M in dropouts. So since we have been trailing in the number of pregnant 15 year old teens lately, I'm sure that this tax proposal will only ensure that we'll be raising more 7-11 fast food chubbies. What a great state.
20% pay cut for all government employees--problem solved!
50% tax on all income over 1000K problem solved ! Gold mine tax !
I think this guy is a little short sighted. What we need to do is put a tax on air. You know, we base it on our age and the average breaths we take in a year. And the best thing for the state is no one even has to buy anything! There are exemptions for people with lower heart rates and yoga instructors and things like that.
I don't think that's going to work, chediski. Even though it is an innovative idea.
The reason why is if you start doing that the Tea Party in Nevada will jump up and down and start screaming that why are these teleprompter reading Islamo Nazi Socialists who put their feet up on the furniture in the State House telling us what to do, we'll show them...WE WON'T BREATHE!
And then the Government of Nevada would be guilty of mass genocide.
Just trying to head off a catastrophe here....
Let's just tax the hell out baby food Pete,you wont hear their complaints for awhlie!
When are the people in Vegas and Reno going to wise up and demand that your representatives change the taxes on Mining.
Barrick Net income excluding one-time items was $759 million in 90 days.
Newmont posted a profit of $382 million for 90 days.
Over 1 Billion in PROFIT in 90 days or 4 Billion dollars profit for 2010. If and when gold goes up, they will make even more!!
Our stupidity as a state for allowing this rip-off is simply amazing. No one would give gold away for a 1% fee- NOBODY!!!!
They don't care about this state! Once the gold is gone they are gone!
This idiot wants to tax food and leave the multinational corporations billions of profits.
Republitards!!!!!
Surprise, surprise, the GOoPers want to punish us for EATING! I guess we should be excited that more GOoPers are realizing we can't afford any more steep cuts to the lifeblood of our state, but why must we punish our middle class and working poor? Why not ask those still profiting nicely in this economy to pay their fair share?
I lived in Hong Kong while it was still a British Colony. We had a great and clean underground subway, really good public transportation, a prospering economy, great education system, all in a free wheeling totally capitalistic society. How did they pay for it? A flat rate tax system, no breaks and no manipulation for special interests. As I recall 15% on personal income and 18% cooperate income taxes. No economic help was needed from Briton. What we need here is a total tax overhaul. Everyone contributed a fair portion of their wealth, no exceptions. It worked and worked well!
Why do the Republicans keep coming up with new ideas for taking more from the bottom dweller?
A food tax? Another impediment between human beings and the 4 basic survival needs?
Who VOTED FOR THIS GUY?
Oh...probably people...not on THE BOTTOM.
Na, let's put a sales tax on the GOP for being so stupid.
speedstream...
The Mining Industry is allowed to rape & pillage because THEY HAVE GREASED ALL THE RIGHT PALMS.
It's not only a glaring EMBARRASMENT,
It's the epitome of FOOLISHNESS.
"Yeah, go ahead. Take what you want. Leave a couple nickels in the can."
BILLIONS AND BILLIONS for these companies, who don't even keep the dough in this COUNTRY, let alone in this state...
You'd have to be BLIND not to see this is a GLARINGLY unreasonable arrangement between Nevada and the Mining Industry.
Or a NITWIT.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, when Sandoval and Angle get their hands on the reins we all we find out what paying taxes are like and just how far they are willing to go to destroy the working people. The so called conservatives have spent their way into this depression and want to blame the liberals for the mess they created and now are whining that the liberals are trying to get us out. The Republicant party in Nevada is famous for promising one thing and doing what they damn well please, no matter who it hurts. If Sandoval is allowed to win the Governors office businesses will be spared any tax increase and it will fall on the shoulders of the workers. The present governor is a glaring example of this. The mining Industry in Nevada is raping the State.
"2% tax on food? What does average bachelor spend? $1000 a month on food? thats $20. Woopee"
1000 bucks a month food bill for a bachelor?
No wonder he is a bachelor the poor guy has to weigh a ton!
The (new radicalized) GOP wants a tax that hurts the middle class and poor. What a shocker.
Money is needed - a regressive tax on food is not the answer.
Here are some options.
Tax Minining - especially Gold
Tax Casino's - to 75% of the prevailing national rates.
Tax Casino Comp's - a "Free Beer" should be worth 25 cents. Free Rooms - that many out of towners get - 10 dollars per night.
Tax Politicians Campaign Funds 50% - we would get fewer negative ads and they would have to hit the streets and quit hiding (Yes Harry and Sharon).
Tax Incomes of over $ 500,000 per year - if they don't like it they can move to California or Macau.
The Poor and Middle Class Have been raided enough! Not another penny for Politicians/Taxes; Banks; Wall Street; Corporations; or anything else - until the Multi-Millionaires stop freeloading and pull their weight.
He looks like an ex- Conventional Republican Assembyman politician if I have my way. The voters in his district should vote him out next election, the three-digit temperature must be messing up his thought process. How about looking at cutting most of the government spending waste first before taxing our food.
Colin: How about a 10% tax on all remunerations of money? Speaking of people who don't pay their fair share illegals export billions of dollars back to their countries of origin. I think we can get some blanket agreement on that one can't we?
Uhhh....newnvres. You realize if they move to Macau we don't get ANY tax revenue right? You want to play that game of brinksmanship? I hope you can make up the difference. And how have the poor been ripped off when 47% percent of people in this country effectively pay no federal income taxes? Feel free to take you and your high taxation nanny state attitude back to where you came from.
Just a suggestion how about say $10.00 fee on all recorded deeds, $20.00 on top of all civil lawsuits filing fees, and why can't the state start mining her own resources also, And maybe a $1.00 dollar a month on media devise ie phone LAN or cellular phones, air cards, satellite, and cable media,Internet just to name a few.
And the flat fee could work if it's everyone not just certain groups or classes of people. Wow Nevada could be the first to show it can work and maybe some other industries would come and set up shop because they wont have the hassle of sheltering it and looking for loop holes.
Why should those who are financially successful be responsible for those who are not. Bring in the flat tax and tax everyone the same amount. This seems like the fairest way to do things and not tax those who have had more success.
Tax stupidity. Nevada's wealth will soon become a countable, measurable commodity! POOF! There goes our deficit!
Legalize and tax pot. Or don't, and just watch Cali smoke their way out of the hole.
End schools. They're not working and we spend all our money ($3 B) educating the top 40% well enough to graduate HS, but then they can't get college w/o a tutor. We're better off training them to become themselves, not scholars.
Tax fossil fuel consumption; it depletes our reserves, puts us closer to incredibly higher costs, and contributes to our real problem - the lethargy of luxury, our consummate pre-existing tendency to blow off reality because we prefer toys and idleness to earnest and vigorous engagement in our lives.
I'm all for taxing sevenhills 75%.