Three tax-related petitions filed

CARSON CITY -- Two petitions that would reallocate "excess" Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority revenues to other uses, including education, and a third measure that would require a two-thirds vote by the public to increase taxes sought on ballot questions were filed with county clerks on Monday.

Proponents of the measures expressed confidence that all three will easily have enough signatures to qualify for the November general election ballot.

To get the proposals before voters, backers must collect and turn in 58,836 valid signatures by today.

The three measures will go through a verification process to ensure there are enough valid signatures of registered voters to put them on the ballot.

"We got double what we needed," said Steve Martin, the former state controller who is seeking to put the two-thirds vote requirement in the state constitution.

Martin said 122,000 signatures were turned in statewide.

Bob Seale, a former state treasurer and former member of the Assembly, said his two room tax measures will have more than enough signatures as well. One of the two companion measures has about 110,000 signatures, and the other has about 111,000, he said.

All three measures still face court challenges that could take them off the ballot. Those challenges will be heard July 1 by the Nevada Supreme Court.

Clark County local governments and the convention authority are challenging the validity of the wording on the two petitions to take excess room tax revenues and use the money either exclusively on statewide education needs or split it equally for education, transportation and public safety.

"Voters from all across Nevada have expressed their strong opposition to raising taxes on working families during these difficult economic times," Seale said. "My initiatives give voters a choice to effectively utilize existing tax revenues and invest them towards some of our most pressing needs, such as education, public safety and transportation."

The petitions are being bankrolled by Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson.

Martin said he is pushing the Nevada Taxpayer Protection Act because the state constitution already requires a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to raise taxes. The same requirement should apply to ballot questions put to the voters seeking to raise taxes, he said.

"Special interest groups are trying to circumvent the Legislature's two-thirds requirement by placing massive tax increases on the ballot, where today they only need a simple majority vote," Martin said. "This important measure will apply the same supermajority requirements to all tax increase proposals, further protecting Nevada taxpayers and the economic viability of our state."

The Nevada State AFL-CIO is challenging Martin's petition.

All three measures are constitutional amendments, meaning they would have to be approved by voters twice, in 2008 and 2010, before they could take effect. If voters approved both of the measures aimed at the convention authority, the one getting the most votes would become law.

A fourth petition, which would implement a Proposition 13-style property tax limit in Nevada, is expected to be filed today by former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle.

Angle said she has not finished counting the signatures on her petition, but that there should be enough names to qualify it for the November ballot as well. There is no current legal challenge to the petition.

It too would have to pass twice before it could take effect. The petition would place limits on property tax hikes in the state constitution.

The Nevada State Education Association was also planning to turn its signatures in today to raise the gaming tax to pay for education needs.

Supporters again are confident they have enough signatures to get the measure on the ballot, although it too faces a legal challenge before the state Supreme Court on July 1 brought by the Nevada Resort Association.

Negotiations between the teachers, some gaming representatives and lawmakers who are seeking a compromise on the gaming tax proposal are continuing.

The petition would raise the highest tax rate on gaming receipts by 3 percentage points, from 6.75 percent to 9.75 percent.

Contact Capital Bureau reporter Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900.