Committee votes to allow Clark County sales taxes increase

The Senate Taxation Committee voted 6-1 today to allow Clark County to increase sales taxes by a quarter cent as a way to hire more police officers, though it postponed the increase for two years.

Under the amended version of Senate Bill 202, the county would begin to impose an additional one-eighth of one percent tax in July 2011 and another one-eighth percent tax in July 2013. Once implemented, the sales tax rate in Clark County would be 8 percent.

Sheriff Doug Gillespie had sought to have the tax increase imposed later this year, but Taxation Chairman Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, said the state may need to impose as much as a 1 point sales tax increase to help bail state government out of a perceived $2.8 billion shortfall in general fund revenue.

“We need to defer it so we an clear the decks for the state,” Coffin said. “Some of us are angered by the head of one of the municipalities who somehow thinks we can watch sex offenders without any money.”

Before the vote, Coffin called North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon a “yahoo” for launching a petition drive to prevent the state from levying a sales tax on services. He noted North Las Vegas Police Chief Chief Joseph Forti testified last week for the bill and pointed out how the crime rate there has dropped because of a half-cent sale tax increase to hire police was approved in 2005.

Gillespie agreed to the delay, saying by having a set time in which sales taxes will be raised will help police departments in recruiting officers.

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Contact reporter Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.