An idea for giving back to taxpayers

By Nevada Appeal editorial board

The momentum is starting to build for some kind of rebate to Nevada taxpayers in the 2005 legislative session, but we would advise against spending it just yet.

The best idea we've seen so far comes from Republican Bob Beers of Las Vegas, an opponent of the record 2003 tax increases. He's suggesting residents get up to $100 credit for every vehicle they register with the Department of Motor Vehicles, according to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

It's not clear how much money such a rebate would cost the state. People with older cars pay less than $100 for registration, so the amount would be less in those cases. What is known right now is the state is looking at a $320 million surplus, the result of higher taxes and a galloping economy.

Getting $100 break on your car registration isn't going to raise a bump in many households budgets - but it would be a welcome bonus for a lot of working families.

More important, though, is the justification behind it. Gov. Kenny Guinn and the Legislature raised taxes. More than enough money is now available. Give some back.

We can already see some Democrats and bureaucrats trembling at the thought of returning money from the clutches of government. We're already on record, as is the governor, of putting a good chunk of the surplus back into the state's rainy day fund.

But right up there on our wish list is some kind of tax break, as well. Whether it's Beers' idea or some other that comes up between now and February when the session opens in Carson City, returning some of those tax dollars should be a priority for legislators.

It took two special sessions to figure out how to pry the money away from taxpayers. We'd like to think it will be a lot easier to devise a means for giving at least a few dollars back.