The effects of taxes, “big-box stores” and the environment on Nevada’s small businesses were all on political candidates’ minds Tuesday at a roundtable discussion at downtown Reno’s Java Jungle Coffee House.

Candidates and community members were invited to the forum put together by Business Advocating Social Equity (BASE), an organization recently formed by small business owners to find ways to gain some extra political weight among legislators. BASE coordinator Tim Healion said the conversation helped generate some thought on important issues affecting small business owners.

“Small businesses encompass 85 percent of businesses in the state,” Healion said. “The largest businesses can go to the Legislature and throw some money around and throw some clout around and they’re often heard moreso than a coffee house owner or a small business owner. There’s a lot of small business that have issues they’d like the Legislature to look at and, as the little guy, they don’t.”

Incumbents at Tuesday’s forum included Assembly members Bernie Anderson, Sheila Leslie, David Bobzien and Debbie Smith, as well as State Sen. Bernice Mathews. Assembly candidates Robert Townsend Trent Baldwin, Steve Dalton and Washoe County Commission candidate Gary Schmidt also spoke.

In three minutes, each candidate addressed one or two of about eight questions BASE formulated to offer insight on what they consider to be important issues facing small businesses in the economic crisis. The impact of big business was a hot topic for several candidates in front of the small crowd.

Smith said although she favors large stores like the Scheels All-Sports, which opened last weekend at the Sparks Marina, legislators and taxpayers should be mindful of tax abatements and exemptions.

“We have to be careful about the policy we set on giving tax incentives,” Smith said. “One of the concerns I have is how (big-box stores) affect small businesses. I’ve already heard about one fishing shop close in my district.”

The Gilly Fishing Store on Rock Boulevard closed on Sept. 5. Former owner Andy Scholz told the Reno Gazette-Journal that he wouldn’t be able to “compete with big bulk,” including Scheels and Bass Pro Shops, planned for south Reno in 2009.

Bernie Anderson, running for office for the 10th time, said Nevadans are “not in a tax mood.”

“I don’t think we were ever in a tax mood,” Anderson said.

In a bill draft he is working on, a two-and-a half-cent tax increase on alcohol would help pay for drug treatment and DNA testing.

Leslie focused on where taxes are derived from in the state and how the system is not working for Nevada.

“The first thing is two-thirds of the Nevada state budget comes from sales tax and gaming tax,” Leslie said. “That’s why no state is in such as bad shape as Nevada. We have no personal income tax and no corporate tax.”

Leslie announced a presentation to be given by Speaker Barbara Buckley on Monday that will address how revenues are generated in the state and to where it goes.

“Why are we letting the big-box stores pay taxes in California and everywhere around us but not in Nevada?” Leslie asked. “If you do go to Wal-Mart, the money you put into that system funds schools in California. … We have to get a whole lot smarter about what we do.”

Questions for the candidates also addressed the environment and medical care.

County commission candidate Gary Schmidt called himself “the ultimate green person.”

“I singlehandedly help the environment with volume because every time I go to the dump, I bring more stuff home,” he said, evoking laughs from the crowd.

Schmidt also touched on building a more effective health care system by downsizing facilities.

“Part of the main reason medical coverage is so high is because care is so high and we need to break up massive hospitals into smaller medical care clinics,” Schmidt said. “As small-business managers know, bigger is not always better and it becomes more bureaucratic.”

After the program, Bobzien said he felt the forum was productive.

“These sorts of small candidate gatherings are always really beneficial because they’re small enough that you can give a little back-and-forth and talk with them,” Bobzien said. “We can come forward with alternatives. For example, Java Jungle – the owner is very successful and he’s seen changes with downtown Reno. They bring a different perspective and it’s really important to hear from the business community.”