Nevada’s special legislative session is finished and was much ado about nothing. Money was moved from one state account to another and one passed bill has the mining industry prepaying its taxes.
A second mining bill that would have resulted in a $60 million addition in state revenue was stopped by one vote. The bill would have brought mining taxation to a more equitable level, given its vast profits from Nevada’s natural resources.
A third bill, a last-minute compromise, also failed in the special session. The session was special for the mining industry; it served international corporations rather than local needs.
Many legislators advance the notion that there should be no new taxes, which is a blessing for the mining industry. It’s obvious that many of the already hard-pressed economic drivers of Nevada are not candidates for new taxes. But there are under-taxed areas that should be contributing to Nevada’s economic health. Mining is one such area.
Most Nevada politicians receive generous campaign contributions from the mining industry. I would hate to think that our representatives are more interested in preserving the profits of international corporations than serving the economic well-being of Nevada.