Congressman Steven Horsford Questions Secretary Mnuchin on Slot Tax, Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

Statement

Yesterday, Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) questioned Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in the House Ways and Means Committee on a variety of the Congressman's priorities. That includes securing the support of the Trump administration for increasing the current IRS reporting minimum threshold of slot machine winnings to $5,000.

"The current IRS reporting minimum threshold for reporting slot machine winnings is $1,200 for a single machine payout and has not been adjusted for inflation or changed since the requirement was implemented in 1977. Adjusted for inflation, the threshold would be around $5,000," Congressman Horsford, a member of the Gaming Caucus, said. "I believe it is important to ensure that the appropriate taxes are collected on gambling winnings, I think it is time to accomplish this in a more efficient manner."

Secretary Mnuchin committed to following up on the issue in the future.

Congressman Horsford also discussed the conflicting reports of Secretary Mnuchin's bilateral meetings with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Water Resources of Egypt and Sudan on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

"It's my understanding that the administration contends that we have reached a balanced approach on this issue -- taking into account the interest of the three countries at the core of the conversation," Congressman Horsford said. "However, Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry stated that, "Ethiopia does not accept the characterization that the negotiation on the Guidelines and Rules on the First Filling and Annual Operation of the GERD is completed.' What are the next steps to ensure that the outcome truly works for the region?"

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