Tax uncertainty worrisome

e Nevada legislature's ongoing tax debate were as weary of it as the lawmakers themselves.

On Thursday, both houses adjourned, calling an end to the special session, a day after a tax bill twice failed in the Senate.

Another special session is now scheduled to begin June 25.

Lawmakers are back at square one.

"I suspect they're the most tired," said Shirley Walker, executive director of Churchill County Economic Development Authority in Fallon.

"All, in their own minds, think that their way is the right way.

It is sad that they can't work out it somehow."

"We're frustrated and disappointed," said Ron Weisinger, executive director of the Northern Nevada Development Authority in Carson City.

And a little worried.

"Companies and site selectors, they're all watching us," said Weisinger.

"People are sitting on the sidelines now.

The state of Nevada doesn't seem to know whether it's coming or going."

"If I were a business I guarantee you I wouldn't make a commitment to come here until I knew what's going to happen," said Suzanne Roseveld, executive director, Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Most observers agreed that business hates uncertainty more than anything.

"Because of the lack of consensus and continued debate businesses may think again about relocating here," said Bob Hadfield, executive director, Nevada Association of Counties.

Lawmakers, too, were dismayed that a compromise had not been reached.

"Members of this body have worked diligently with the Senate," to craft a bill that both houses could pass, said Barbara Buckley (D-Clark County), majority floor leader.

"Unfortunately that didn't happen.

Items were amended into the bill that were never seen before."

At this point, said Buckley, "it doesn't make sense to keep us here at the taxpayers' expense." On Wednesday, the Senate, meeting as a committee of the whole, approved a tax bill, but not the same bill that members of both houses had worked out.

Sen.

Mark Amodei (R-Capital District), when outlining the bill to the Senate, said the Senate caucus decided to lower the payroll tax rate to 1.1 percent and do away with the gross receipts cap proposed by members of the Assembly.

The bill passed out of the Senate as a committee and went to the floor, where Sen.

Dina Titus (D-Clark County) called into question a portion of the bill allowing a casino to transfer a gaming license, even to a location outside so-called gaming enterprise areas designed to protect residential neighborhoods from casinos.

The provision had been included in the bill without any discussion in the committee, although a bill doing the same thing was introduced by Sen.

Mike Scheinder (D-Clark County) in the regular session and died in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

For more than a few minutes, Amodei and Titus fought back and forth on the floor about the inclusion of the section.

Eventually, the bill went up for a vote and failed.

Sen.

Joe Neal (D-Clark County) had the vote rescinded, after which the section was deleted from the bill in an amendment.

The Senate voted and the bill failed again.

On Thursday, after the Assembly adjourned, the Senate met and passed two bills, one raising the Secretary of State fees and another creating a statewide, self-supporting system for casino work card permits.

It reconvened later that evening.

only to adjourn.