Nevada Tax Structure In The News
June 30th, 2007People who want to expand government services faster than Nevada’s population is growing are fond of describing our state system of taxation as “unstable” or having a “structural deficit.” They also often state how poorly government services are funded, teachers are paid, poor people are treated, diseases are cured, etc., especially compared to back where they came from.
The catchier variation on the theme is “Nevada is at the bottom of all the good lists and top of all the bad lists” with a clear implication that if we could just raise taxes, expand spending, and pay government workers enough, we could reverse the situation.
The June 11, 2007 Wall Street Journal reported that Nevada has now worked itself up to the fifth highest tax burden amongst American states. Here’s a PDF of the chart they ran on page R8.
While it is true that we are fortunate to be able to shift a big piece of our tax burden onto our visitors and gamers, so that we residents pay a smaller portion, the flip side of this coin is that our government functions in Nevada are top rank in how much they spend. If your government isn’t getting the job done, it’s due to waste and inefficiency not low tax revenue.
October 12th, 2007 at 5:05 am
[...] I have most recently addressed the robust nature (top 10%, apparently) of Nevada’s government funding here. [...]
October 22nd, 2007 at 6:34 pm
[...] significant traction. The tax hikes that year propelled Nevada’s governments well into the uncomfortably bloated and overfed category compared with the rest of the United [...]
October 23rd, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Hidden taxes are the specialty of the Nevada Legislature. I am pleased that we do not have an income tax, but it seems like we are headed that direction. The joke is that the simplified income tax form is “how much did you make_______, send it in”. This is not how it is, but it seems to be what the final goal is if our handlers are not stopped.
October 26th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
[...] to consider budget cuts, but a fine time to consider increasing taxes. I sure wish he read my blog, especially this entry which features the Tax Foundation describing Nevada’s local, state and federal taxation (and [...]