It’s easy for elected officials to pay lip service to how well they’re doing and talk about their achievements but, just as in school, report cards show the world what actually happened. To that end, the Nevada Policy Research Institute (NPRI) has just released its 2015 Legislative Review & Report Card, which includes a narrative overview of the session and scores every … [Read more...]
NPRI: Gov. Sandoval’s Proposed Business License Tax is Complex, Destructive, Unnecessary
CARSON CITY – Responding to Gov. Brian Sandoval’s release of details of his new business-license tax proposal, NPRI executive vice president Victor Joecks issued the following comments: As part of his push for the largest tax increase in Nevada history, Gov. Sandoval is unfortunately trying to subject all Nevada businesses to a destructive new gross receipts tax. His … [Read more...]
What to Expect from Carson City in 2015:Republican Sweep Creates New Opportunities for Policy Reforms
The November wave that swept Republicans to victory not only solidified their control of the governor’s mansion but also saw them capture both chambers of the Nevada Legislature for the first time in 85 years. So now what? In the lifetime since Republicans last controlled the legislative process, liberal policies, decade after decade, have generated many problems for the … [Read more...]
Medicaid Expansion Pressures Nevada’s Poor, Doctors, State Budget
Addition of 281,000 to state dole creating long waits for doctor openings Last year, almost 25,000 Nevadans found their health plans canceled, thanks to the so-called Affordable Care Act. The ACA also caused a dramatic increase in the price of individual insurance plans — with Nevada having the largest premium increases in the entire country, according to a national study … [Read more...]
Celebrating the Constitution: The Long-Term Benefits of its Short-Term Inefficiencies
In all of life, actions have both short-term and long-term consequences — and often those outcomes stand in stark contrast to each other. If your three-year-old child is screaming for you to buy him a toy at the store, the quickest way to quiet him is to get the toy. But your actions will have told him that throwing a fit is a great way to get stuff he wants, and so each … [Read more...]
Odds for success of PERS plan – Roughly 1 in 12 Quintillion: Nevada Retirees Risk Seeing Their Benefits Reduced as Money Runs Short
Aside from death and taxes, there are no sure things in life. Everything we do involves an element of risk. The question then becomes: How much risk is reasonable, given the stakes? In the private sector, most entrepreneurs have risked tens of thousands of dollars — or sometimes even tens of millions of dollars — pursuing opportunities to grow their businesses. They … [Read more...]
Taxpayers Lose Big: Lawmakers Impose New Burdens
Three years ago, both Brian Sandoval and Rory Reid ran for governor on a “no new taxes” platform. Last year, voters in five Nevada counties rejected six efforts to raise taxes — even though Barack Obama was at the top of the ticket, driving liberal voter turnout. Given the clear will of the voters throughout the state, you’d expect that the governor and legislators would … [Read more...]
31 Percent of Nevada Workers Want to Leave Their Unions
Union Restrictions Make it Difficult for Members to Opt Out Have you ever been trapped? Maybe you were stuck in traffic without A/C on a blistering summer day. Maybe an elevator door took three beats too long to open. Maybe you squeezed into clothes that were just a bit too tight and constricted your movements. Being trapped is a terrible feeling. You feel stuck, isolated … [Read more...]
