Las Vegas Review-Journal Column: Steve Sisolak Wants To Raise Taxes On Nevadans

Sisolak is now supporting property tax hikes that would make the state less affordable for working families.

The RGA writes:

Nevada Democrat gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak continues to make burdensome tax increases a central tenet of his campaign.

In a new Las Vegas Review-Journal column, Victor Joecks writes that Sisolak supports imposing a new property tax policy that would force higher taxes on homeowners throughout the state. As a result of his proposals, Sisolak would “need to pass higher taxes during the 2019 session to fulfill even a portion of his campaign promises.”

After spending his career voting for burdensome tax increases on the people of Nevada, Sisolak is now supporting property tax hikes that would make the state less affordable for working families.

Here's more, from the Las Vegas Review-Journal

Democrats running for state office don’t like to talk about it, but they want to raise your taxes. That includes hiking property taxes.

Start with Democrat gubernatorial candidate Steve Sisolak.

‘The property tax caps that were introduced and implemented over a decade ago are not working,’ said Sisolak in February.

Those caps limit increases in residential property taxes to 3 percent a year, while commercial property taxes can jump by no more than 8 percent annually. Sisolak supports a technical change that would prevent a secondary calculation from keeping property tax growth below the caps.

That change, however, would bring in almost no additional revenue going forward. That’s why legislative Democrats have gone further. Last session, every Democratic lawmaker voted to increase property taxes via a constitutional amendment. The Legislature has to approve constitutional amendments twice before they go to a vote of the people.

This proposal would reset a property’s taxable value upon sale. Along with property tax caps, Nevada depreciates a property’s value based on age. Say a house is worth $250,000, but thanks to property tax caps and depreciation, the owner is paying taxes as if it were worth $150,000. Currently, the new owner inherits the property’s previous tax valuation. This plan would change that. The purchaser would pay taxes based on the home’s current value and as if it were a brand-new home.

Supporters of the proposal imply that current homeowners would’t be hurt, but that’s not necessarily true. If higher property taxes increase a mortgage payment by $200 a month, you’ve made it more difficult for buyers, which would have ramifications throughout the market.

Even if imposed indirectly, property tax hikes are still politically toxic. Have you seen any Democrats in competitive seats touting their vote to raise taxes? If Republican candidates are smart, they’ll make sure voters know that Democrat incumbents want to dramatically increase property taxes.

These proposals are long-term revenue plays. If voters approve it, the constitutional amendment wouldn’t go into effect until the end of 2020. If Sisolak is elected, he’s going to need to pass higher taxes during the 2019 session to fulfill even a portion of his campaign promises.

‘People say education isn’t a money issue, but education is a money issue,’ said Sisolak on Nevada Newsmakers. ‘If we want to recruit and retain the best teachers, we have to pay more money.’

An interim legislative committee has been working on how much money the education establishment wants this time. The authors haven’t released a final total yet, but Review-Journal calculations put the cost of just partially implementing the plan at $1.7 billion a year.

But wait. There’s more. Sisolak supports collective bargaining for state workers, which would increase their pay. He also wants to ‘increase the reimbursement rate’ for doctors accepting Medicaid.

Education, state worker pay and Medicaid make up the vast majority of state general fund spending. Sisolak could increase general fund spending by 50 percent and not satisfy every government agency. What taxes does he want to raise to get this kind of money?

He won’t say, but don’t let that fool you. To fund spending proposals like this, tax hikes are inevitable.”

Previously: 

1 year, 11 months ago

Governors in Iowa, North Dakota and Alabama join GOP colleagues in banning TikTok for state employees

The Republican governors of three more states have joined the growing number of GOP governors who are banning TikTok among state government employees amid security concerns about the Chinese-owned social media platform

1 year, 11 months ago

Arizona Governor Creates Shipping Container Border Wall

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has had hundreds of double-stacked shipping containers topped with razor wire placed on the state’s border with Mexico

1 year, 12 months ago

Stacey Abrams’s Georgia Nonprofit Could Face Criminal Investigations for Unlicensed Fundraising

New Georgia Project's charity license has lapsed in at least nine states

1 year, 12 months ago

Biden says ‘more important things’ than border visit, despite 59 trips to Delaware, 8 stops for ice cream

Biden has yet to visit southern border despite historic crisis under his watch

1 year, 12 months ago

Governor Kristi Noem delivers annual Budget Address, says the state can afford grocery tax cut

In about thirty minutes of remarks, Governor Kristi Noem laid out her administration would like to see nearly $2.2 billion spent over the course of the next fiscal year and a half.

1 year, 12 months ago

‘A Clear And Present Danger To Its Users:’ South Carolina Gov. Bans State Employees From Using TikTok Amid National Security Concerns

South Carolina became the second state in the union Monday to permanently ban state employees’ electronic devices from using TikTok amid federal officials sounding the alarm that the Chinese-based social media app threatens national security