Las Vegas NowLawmakers Pass Budget, Send to Governor

Lawmakers Pass Budget, Send to Governor

The State of Nevada appears to have nearly $800 million more in taxes. Late Friday, both the Senate and the Assembly passed a wide-reaching tax package after days of negotiating and compromise.

It's been months of fighting and arguing and Friday's final deadline to get the bill to Governor Jim Gibbons forced the deal. Both houses have enough votes to override the governor's planned veto next week.

The tax bill will affect nearly every business and every consumer. Payroll taxes will go up for big businesses and go down for smaller companies. Sales tax will go up by .35-percent.

The sticking points came down to placing a sunset provision on the taxes. Republicans wanted the taxes to end at some point and they wanted it in writing.

Democrats forged the compromise to make sure the bill could move through both houses and get to the governor's office by 5 p.m. That appears to have happened. Governor Gibbons will veto the bill likely next Friday, giving lawmakers enough time to override the veto and balance Nevada's budget, now with enough tax money to keep the state afloat and keep people from layoffs.