In August, Brian Greenspun turns over the Where I Stand column to guest writers. Today’s columnist is Terry Lanni, chairman and chief executive of MGM Mirage. You’ve likely read in the Las Vegas Sun about an initiative to raise the room tax rate by one-third, or 33 1/3 percent, to raise $150 million annually, which will go the first year to the general fund and then to teachers’ salaries in perpetuity. While we unequivocally support funding for education, this narrowly crafted proposal comes when our state budget is facing unprecedented cutbacks in every area including public safety and prisons, higher education, senior assistance, health care, child services and roadway construction. While a room tax should be part of the solution to increase revenues, this proposal has several weaknesses: • It doesn’t come close to fixing the $1.2 billion budget deficit, which may well rise even higher. • It earmarks these funds, preventing elected leaders from addressing potentially more pressing financial needs. • It simply extends our commitment to a broken tax system, one that has failed us for years. Additionally, why are we asking tourists, whose children don’t attend classes in Nevada, to pay exclusively for teacher salaries? Where are our bankers, our retailers, our car dealers and other large businesses whose children go to school locally? Here in Nevada, companies large and small have profited from vibrant growth and expansion for almost e ...
Anytime
