State Sen. Bill Raggio says he won’t be supporting a business tax, which limits one of the options lawmakers might consider in closing the $2.4 billion budget gap facing Nevada. Speaking to the Las Vegas Business Press in an interview published today, Raggio ruled out voting for such a tax after university Chancellor Jim Rogers came out for one in a speech to the North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

“I do not support this,” state Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said. “I don’t believe I could at this point in time, when the economy is leaving businesses in very bad shape as it is. A corporate income tax and a gross receipts tax is just out of the question.”

Southern Nevada would be hurt the most by a corporate income tax, which is what the profits tax would be, Raggio added.

“Businesses are really hurting, especially in Southern Nevada,” he said. “(Its) economy is in dire straits. Its industry is already suffering, especially gaming. That would be the final straw.”

Raggio is one of the key lawmakers in the tax debate, since Democrats control only 12 of the state Senate’s 21 votes. They need 14 to be able to raise or create any tax, which puts minority Republicans in a position to negotiate any tax solution. (Democrats control 28 votes in the Assembly — exactly two-thirds of the lower house.)

With Raggio’s declaration, it appears focus may shift to an incremental solution — a small increase in a large number of taxes across the board. Then again, Raggio today voted for a 3 percentage point increase in the hotel room tax in Clark and Washoe counties, despite promising a constituient in August, “Well, I’m not going to raise taxes, I can guarantee you that.”