Raise taxes, kill jobs, hurt locals
To the editor:
The Democratic geniuses leading Nevada's Legislature, many local pundits and a certain television station owner have been carping for months that Nevada needs to raise taxes on its employers. More payroll taxes. Corporate income tax. Gross receipts tax.
None of these clowns realizes that many large, nongaming employers located businesses here in Las Vegas in large part because companies and employers are not burdened by those taxes.
The call centers for Zappos, Sitel and now Telus International -- which announced its plans to locate here last week -- are just three examples.
I am willing to bet that many of these call centers would quickly pull the plug and move out of Nevada if the proposed new taxes on employers or their income are imposed by the Legislature.
By and large, graduates of our local high schools have been cheated out of the casino jobs held by their parents' generations because of the massive number of noncitizens employed by both union and nonunion casinos. These call centers provide one of the largest sources of higher-than-minimum-wage jobs.
If the call center jobs go away because of new taxes on employers imposed by the Legislature, Las Vegas will have even higher unemployment and will still be stuck with thousands of noncitizens holding the remaining casino jobs.
I would not expect those advocating higher taxes on employers, and income/gross receipts taxes on businesses, to realize the harm they will cause to the average, native Las Vegan if they enact these new taxes. Most of the higher-taxes advocates have cushy public-sector jobs, secure jobs subsidized by the public, or, in one case, are simply too rich to understand how very, very hard life is for the average Las Vegas high school graduate.
Alan Shaw
LAS VEGAS
Of stimuli and nostalgia
To the editor:
Great picture of U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer, Harry Reid and Richard Durbin on the front page of Friday's Review-Journal.
I wonder how many other old movie and New Yorker magazine cartoon fans found it reminiscent of the scene in the movie "North by Northwest," when Cary Grant came upon three antagonists and observed, "The three of you together. Now, there's a picture only Charles Addams could draw."
S. Deas
LAS VEGAS
Fix housing first
To the editor:
Realtors across the country have been advocating for a comprehensive stimulus package to reduce housing inventory, make mortgages more affordable and available and help deserving families refinance or modify their loans so they can keep their homes.
Especially here in Southern Nevada, there is no doubt that stabilizing home prices and restoring confidence in the housing market are critical to an overall economic recovery.
It's important for President Obama and Congress to complete a bipartisan stimulus package focused on housing. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is a good start, but much more needs to be done. It is imperative that the federal government act immediately to encourage home buyers to re-enter the market and to stop families from losing their homes to foreclosure.
Federal "rescue" dollars should be directed to buy down mortgage rates. A half-million additional homes could be sold if interest rates were lowered by just 1 percentage point. Additionally, banks must find ways to help prevent foreclosures and unclog the credit market.
We support a $15,000 home buyer's tax credit and its expansion to include all home buyers, not just first-timers. The elimination of the repayment feature and the credit extension through December 2009 would have a meaningful impact for buyers. Reinstating the increased FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan limits that expired on Dec. 31 would also help the recovery by increasing mortgage liquidity. Banks need to resume lending.
The federal government, Realtors, lenders and local governments need to work together to turn the economy around. President Obama and Congress will have to move quickly to get a comprehensive housing recovery plan in place to protect families, homes and jobs. A stable housing market is the only way to begin an economic recovery.
We see first-hand that consumer confidence is shaken, but we find the dream of home ownership still very much alive. We urge all parties to work together -- and work quickly -- to restore confidence in the housing market and the U.S. financial system.
Sue Naumann
LAS VEGAS
THE WRITER IS PRESIDENT OF THE GREATER LAS VEGAS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS.
Two questions
To the editor:
How many victory laps do President Obama, Sen. Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have to take before they return to the real world?
And can they please explain how $5 billion to ACORN included in the "stimulus" bill serves to immediately improve the U.S. economy?
Robert S. Tobias
LAS VEGAS
