July 14, 2008 - 12:38pm
Tax break source of latest flap for Gibbons
By Daniel TrudeauAs the state faces what could be described as a financial crisis, Gov. Jim Gibbons (R-Reno) is facing another public scandal — this time over a questionable tax break he asked for and received from the Elko County assessor.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that Gibbons called in a favor to Elko County Assessor Joe Aguirre to redesignate a parcel of residential land he owned as agricultural in a successful bid to cut his property taxes from $5,000 a year to $15.
According to the AP, Aguirre, a fellow Republican, said he felt pressured to grant Gibbons' request against his better judgment.
"To say I was put in an awkward position I think is an understatement," Aguirre told the AP.
The scandal has liberal bloggers around the state calling for Gibbons' head. It's the latest in a series of personally and politically compromising incidents for the first-term governor.
Most recently, Gibbons was caught in an embrace with a former Playboy model outside a rodeo, prompting an eyebrow-raising explanation from the governor.
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Conspiracy to Defraud the State of Nevada
It really doesn't make a darn who opened this particular can of worms.
What is of greater importance is if the gubber and Whitehead conspired to defraud the State of Nevada in an illicit tax evasion scheme.
Aguirre has laid out all the dots here - especially the checks which only showed the face and not the back to verify if a payment was actually made and processed through the bank. Funds actually going through the bank is the only way to make this even a semi-legitimate transaction. If the checks didn't go through the bank then there is a substantial case for tax fraud and conspiracy to defraud the State of Nevada.
But it will take the AG to connect them and make a prosecutable case.
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