GROUP URGES JUDGE TO REJECT TAX PETITION

The lawyer for a Nevada taxpayers group urged a judge Monday to reject
a petition aimed at getting a public vote in November on whether to
repeal last year's record $833 million tax increase package.

Attorney Thomas "Spike" Wilson, representing the Nevada Taxpayers
Association, argued the "Ax the Tax" proposal was unconstitutional
because it would create an unbalanced state budget and because there
was no clear explanation given to people asked to sign the petition.

Attorney Joel Hansen, arguing for Nevadans for Sound Government, asked
Carson City District Judge Bill Maddox to reject the arguments against
the petition and complained of "litigation by ambush."

Maddox didn't issue an immediate ruling and asked for additional
information from the lawyers.

The court hearing followed Secretary of State Dean Heller's finding on
Friday that the petition failed by 4,548 signatures to meet a minimum
51,337-signature requirement needed to qualify for the ballot.

An earlier statistical sampling showed the "Ax the Tax" petition
failed by about 2,100 names, and at that point Heller ordered election
officials in the state's eight largest counties to check every signature.

George Harris of Nevadans for Sound Government said he's going to
court anyway because the process followed by election officials
violates the law.

Harris said he's filing a brief in a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
case dealing with a petition aimed at easing Nevada's marijuana
possession laws.