|
Tax Fight Not Over
Until “We Decide” It Is
Chuck
Muth
June
5, 2015
Government-luvin’
tax hikers in Nevada shouldn’t be doing the Snoopy Dance just yet. As fictional Sen. John “Bluto” Blutarski of Animal House famously put it, “Nothing’s
over until we decide it is.”
We. Decide.
Gov.
Brian Sandoval never campaigned on raising taxes-and-spending by over a billion
dollars - including the creation of a new gross receipts tax - and, therefore,
had no mandate from we, the people to do so.
And
not one Republican candidate for the Legislature campaigned on raising
taxes-and-spending by over a billion dollars - including the creation of a new
gross receipts tax - and, therefore, had no mandate from we, the people to do
so.
To
the contrary, we, the people overwhelmingly – almost 80 percent! - rejected a
similar gross receipts tax proposal that was on the ballot last November.
But
our elected elite decided they knew better.
And
just stuck us with the largest tax increase in Nevada’s history.
$1.5
BILLION.
To
put this in perspective, Connecticut* – run 100% by Eastern liberal Democrats –
“only” raised taxes this week by $1.2 billion.
They’re
pikers compared to Sandoval and his RINOs in the Nevada Legislature.
Fortunately,
however, Nevada’s Constitution empowers we, the people to have the last word on
this if we, the people so choose.
Article
19, Section 1 of the Nevada Constitution provides for a “Referendum for
approval or disapproval of statute or resolution enacted by legislature.”
Unless
I’m reading it wrong, it certainly appears that our Constitution allows for “any statute or resolution or any part
thereof enacted by the legislature be submitted to a vote of the people” if
“a number of registered voters of this
state equal to 10 percent or more of the number of voters who voted at the last
preceding general election shall express their wish by filing with the
secretary of state” a petition calling for its repeal.
Fortunately
for taxpayers, voter turnout last November was exceptionally low – only 552,326.
That
means only around 55,000 Nevada voters are needed to sign a petition to repeal
the largest tax increase in Nevada’s history.
To
put this in perspective, the teachers union collected well over 100,000
signatures - twice as many - to put their gross receipts tax on last
November's ballot.
If
a sufficient number of voters sign such a referendum petition, the Secretary of State “shall submit the question of approval or
disapproval of such statute or resolution or any part thereof to a vote of the
voters at the next succeeding election at which such question may be voted upon
by the registered voters of the entire State.”
That
would be we, the people in 2016.
But
here’s the best part…
That
means that if the referendum makes it on the ballot and we, the people, reject
the tax hikes – including the new gross receipts tax – they will be repealed.
And
liberals will squeal like stuck pigs!
Indeed,
we’ll hear all manner of apocalyptic predictions of Canadian-speaking children
being kicked out of school and old people dying in the street of
starvation.
None
of it will be true, of course. But when
have liberals – especially liberal Republicans - ever let the truth stand in
the way of a good mass hysteria campaign?
But
even if voters approve the largest tax hike in state history, the referendum
means the legislature can’t come back in two years and try to increase the
rates for ANY of the various tax hikes without another vote of we, the
people.
That
means the legislature won’t be able to raise the new gross receipts tax, raise the
modified business payroll tax, raise the sales tax, raise the cigarette tax or
raise your vehicle registration fees in the future without a vote of we, the
people who have to pay these taxes.
So
a qualified referendum on the largest tax hike in Nevada history is a no-lose
scenario for Nevada’s taxpayers and businesses.
You see, even if the tax hikes aren’t repealed, the legislature won’t be
able to raise them on their own again in the future.
The
small business community that was sold out and let down by entities such as the
Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce should consider investing a few hundred thousand
dollars to gather the signatures to put this referendum on the ballot rather
than get stuck paying millions upon millions of dollars more in higher taxes –
not just now, but in the future.
If
you think such a referendum is a good idea and would like to join the “We
Decide Coalition,” go to www.WeDecideCoalition.com
and sign up.
So
let it be written; so let it be done.
* POST SCRIPT
Four
years ago, Connecticut’s Democrat governor and legislature passed what was, at
the time, the largest tax increase in the state’s history. And here’s what the Republican Governor’s
Association (RGA) said about it…
Interestingly,
no similar statement of condemnation was issued by the RGA this week over
Republican Nevada Gov. Sandoval doing the EXACT SAME THING.
Apparently
when it comes to the GOP establishment, it’s only bad when Democrats raise
taxes, not when Republicans do it.
Apparently
higher taxes only hurt “struggling families” when Democrats do it, not
Republicans.
Apparently
higher taxes “don’t help small business grow the economy” when Democrats do it,
not Republicans.
It’s
hypocrisy thick enough to cut with the Stihl chainsaw.
If
Brian Sandoval didn’t have that fake “R” after his name, Republicans would be
in the streets with pitchforks and torches.
It’s
not conservative Republicans who are wrong on this issue.
It’s
the establishment Republicans who sold us out and are trashing the GOP brand.
You can read this column online, as well as access archives
of past Muth's Truths columns by clicking here... www.MuthsTruths.com
Did someone forward you this copy of Muth's Truths?
Get your own FREE subscription...  |
No comments:
Post a Comment