Nevada tax amnesty time

Assembly speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, called for the state to consider amnesty for tax scofflaws in an effort to collect unpaid taxes and reduce the state's estimated $881 million budget shortfall.

Buckley, during a meeting of the state's interim finance committee, made the proposal to Department of Taxation Executive Director Dino DiCianno.

She said a previous amnesty period generated $41 million in collections.

That kind of money could prevent cuts to Medicaid and programs that provide hearing aids and other services to senior citizens, she said.

"I think we should consider another amnesty. I would like to see you put together a plan," Buckley told DiCianno. "If we could obtain a similar amount of money or even half of it it could avert a lot of pain for those who are most vulnerable."

DiCiano said it was a good idea, but added that all the money from the previous amnesty didn't go to the state.