Small-business owners pay fair share of taxes

To the editor:

While I don’t completely agree with J.C. Watts’ May 22 column, I must respond to the Thursday reply from Richard Kevin Salas.

Mr. Salas states that “rich” small business owners who “take home” $250,000 per year should be taxed at higher rates. I have been a small-business owner for almost 20 years and I have never “taken home” more than $250,000. I have, however, paid millions of dollars in taxes.

Small-business owners are taxed on the profits of their business, not on the amount that they “take home.” Let’s say that an owner, with cautious regard for the current financial state of our nation, were to leave $200,000 in his business in case he needed future cash for business operations. That money would be taxed as revenue despite the fact that it was not “taken home,” as stated by Mr. Salas.

Such misinformation is often practiced by those eager to tax small businesses while being unwilling to curb or even promote the smallest cut in government spending. Mr. Salas also intimated that “most small businesses are pass-through entities,” and again, that is a gross misrepresentation of actual facts and speaks of the tremendous bias that small businesses face every day.

Mr. Salas would be better served by being better informed. Or, he could become a small-business owner and join the ranks of the rich and pay those higher taxes, which I am sure he would be eager to do. He may find things are not what he expected.

Jim Thomson

Las Vegas

Wide open election

To the editor:

In the Thursday article headlined, “Angle out; 15 others join race,” reporter Laura Myers mentions the Democratic and Republican candidates, but doesn’t mention any of the other candidates, including Independent American Tim Fasano.

The 2nd Congressional District special election includes candidates from three political parties and three independents. Yet it seems that this article considers only two political parties.

The Independent American Party is the third-largest party in Nevada and the fastest-growing party in Nevada. Four of its candidates won their election in 2010.

To inform the public, it seems that all the candidates should have at least been mentioned in the article with a short comment. This election is wide open, and the Review-Journal should make an effort to provide the voters with the information necessary to make an enlightened decision.

Tom Jones

Las Vegas