Meet the tax lady

My goodness, how did Peggy Pierce neglect to include the air we breathe in her all-consuming proposal to raise taxes on Nevadans?

The five-term Democratic assemblywoman from Las Vegas -- a "resource coordinator" for the community organizing arm of the AFL-CIO -- has never been shy about her hostility to the concept of limited government, arguing in 2009 that, "The old Nevada fetish for tiny government and low taxes is a minority point of view today."

Intent on testing that theory, Ms. Pierce this week introduced a number of bills designed to head off potential state budget cuts. Needless to say, Ms. Pierce embraces the notion that the state's struggling private-sector taxpayers have yet to submit to a proper milking.

First and foremost, Ms. Pierce wants to impose a 4.5 percent business income tax on earnings above $500,000.

But that's not all. If you order now, you'll also get a 5 percent tax on services and a doubling of the state cigarette tax to $1.70 a pack.

And there's more. Ms. Pierce would levy a 5 percent tax on billboards, radio and TV advertising, barber and beauty shops, health club memberships, dry cleaners, pool service companies, telemarketers, storage unit rentals and pet groomers.

Oh, but lest you think she's through, Ms. Pierce seeks to raise the tax on beer by more than 55 percent and the tax on wine and liquor by 25 percent.

Ms. Pierce says she doesn't know how much this frenzy of levies would raise for the state, but believes it would be enough to close what she argues is a $2.5 billion budget gap.

Give Ms. Pierce credit. At least she has the gumption to stand up for her beliefs, which is more than can be said of many lawmakers.

But as for her belief that a majority of Nevadans oppose "low taxes" and prefer a tax on virtually everything that moves ... well, let's just say Ms. Pierce might want to venture outside the union hall from time to time.