Governor Applauds Speaker Buckley’s Promise to Oppose Corporate Income Tax

Governor Jim Gibbons today said he is pleased that Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley has publicly announced that she will not support a corporate income tax in Nevada. Speaker Buckley’s comments appeared in news reports earlier this week. If those media reports are accurate, Speaker Buckley said she did not find support for a new corporate income tax among Nevada’s business leaders and lawmakers.

“I am gratified to see that the Assembly Speaker is in agreement with what I have been saying for a long time,” Gibbons said, “New taxes will kill Nevada’s chances at a quick economic recovery and will kill jobs all over the State.” Governor Gibbons also noted, “I hope Speaker Buckley will stay consistent on this position as the Legislature considers tax hikes as a way to solve the State’s budget deficit.” There have been reports that certain legislative leaders want to raise sales taxes, property taxes, gaming taxes, and other taxes. Governor Gibbons plans to stand by his promise to veto any budget sent to him by the legislature that contains new taxes.

“We are supposed to be stimulating the economy, not killing it,” Gibbons said, “Tax hikes during this economic crisis will only put more citizens out of work, create more home foreclosures, and force the people of Nevada to pay more at a time when they have less. State government must live within its means, just like its citizens must do.”

Speaker Buckley also reportedly made a statement regarding the need to diversify Nevada’s economy. That is another economic project Governor Gibbons has been working on for more than two years. Governor Gibbons presently has a bill in the legislature that, if passed, would pave the way for Nevada to become the renewable energy powerhouse of the Nation. “A large part of Nevada’s economic future is in clean renewable energy, and those resources in our State are boundless,” Gibbons said, “I am glad Speaker Buckley agrees that economic diversification is needed in Nevada.”
 

Governor Moves Forward With Stimulus Fund Plans

Governor Jim Gibbons continues working with the Federal Government to obtain and utilize the maximum amount of Stimulus Package dollars possible. “With our high unemployment and our deep economic crisis, I am working to get the dollars we have been promised injected into our State’s economy as soon as possible.” Governor Gibbons discussed the Stimulus Package after participating in a conference call with Vice-President Joe Biden yesterday.

“I asked Vice-President Biden directly to do everything he and his Administration can do to quickly clarify the guidance rules for Stimulus Package funds in order to expedite getting the money into our economy,” Gibbons said, “Vice-President Biden acknowledged to me that he is aware of how hard Nevada has been hit during this economic crisis.”

Gibbons noted that thousands of Nevadans are suffering due to home foreclosures, layoffs, inability to afford medical care, and other consequences of the economic crisis. “The Stimulus Package legislation is stuck in the beltway bureaucracy,” Gibbons said, “We must move faster to help the people of Nevada.”

Governor Gibbons also asked Vice-President Biden to closely monitor progress of the Stimulus Package regulations to make sure the regulations are fair and flexible.

Vice-President Biden told Governor Gibbons and the other governors to contact him directly for assistance if difficulties emerge with the distribution of Stimulus Package funds. The Vice-President also noted that there is some delay in certain areas of Stimulus Fund distribution because some federal agencies are not yet fully staffed since the Administration change.

Governor Gibbons also announced that the Governor’s Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff will travel to a special meeting in Washington D.C. next week in order to obtain clarifications of Stimulus Package rules and regulations so Nevadans can benefit from the funds as soon as possible.