LETTER: Don’t complain about tax money helping the Las Vegas gaming industry

For the fiscal year 2020, the gaming industry provided $1.3 billion dollars in taxes. That’s 35 percent of all taxes collected by the state. So, Clark County wants to spend $40 million to repair Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Road, which are in desperate need of repair, to accommodate the Formula One race coming here in November. And people are complaining?

Just a reality check here to all those whiners: That 4.2 miles we call the Strip is your reason for being here. It’s the industry of Las Vegas. Without it, there would be no reason for the houses, stores, hospitals, schools, etc. It’s why more than 2 million people have moved here from elsewhere to earn a very good living.

Those who complain about spending tax dollars on the gaming industry don’t understand that without gaming there’s no reason for them to be here. They can then just pack their bags and move back to where they came from because Las Vegas would be a ghost town. Gaming is the lifeblood, the heartbeat of this city. It’s the reason for being here and everything and everybody is part of the infrastructure, not vice versa.

So, they want to build a baseball stadium? Great. It will generate more taxes and bring tourists here and people’s lives will improve because that is our industry.