Letters to the editor for Sunday, May 17, 2015

Business license fee hike not good for businesses

The proposed increase in the state business license fee will be punitive to business, very narrow based and will result in a net loss of businesses, jobs and revenue to the State General Fund. There are 2.84 million people living in Nevada and 330,000 plus or minus businesses. How can a tax targeting only 11 percent of a total population be considered “broad based?” Businesses provide the jobs and sign the paychecks that fuel the economic engines of both the public and private sectors.

Over the last few decades, millions of dollars of private and public funds have been spent on marketing Nevada as being “The Most Business Friendly State” in the nation. As a result, Nevada has consistently been in the top five best places for business.

All businesses who have been attracted to Nevada by the campaign are now feeling betrayed. Sandoval’s economists have grossly underestimated the collateral damage of any increase in the state business license fee. Sandoval’s plan will propel Nevada to the top of the worse of the worst places for business, replacing California at No. 1 (Sandoval’s proposed business license fee schedule will be higher than the corporate income taxes in California) and will also move Nevada to first in unemployment in the nation.

Nevada needs a true broad based revenue stream that’s simple, straight forward, cannot be negotiated or manipulated. Tax paid at the point of purchase. You can trim my hair every day but you can only scalp me once. Sandoval’s proposal will be a scalping!

D. R. Harmer

Washoe Valley

Leck’s commentary was on mark

The commentary by Daniel Leck regarding downtown improvements, “It is never too late to do what is right,” published May 2, was excellent.

Carson Street used to be two lanes with parking on both sides. It was congested and hazardous. Meters were installed and tickets issued to the irritation of both residents and tourists. Later the street was made four lanes with a beautiful divider and parking was moved to side streets.

Widening sidewalks and adding parking and bicycle lanes may be a step backwards. Parking meters and tickets will be irritating. Four lanes feeding into two lanes will be a bottleneck at both ends. The public meetings showed pretty drawings, but not practical. Finishing the Ormsby House hotel would sure help and give incentives to attract nice businesses. We need money to repair our broken-down city streets.

Donna Jensen

Carson City