Break for gaming, mining, others in Sandoval tax bill
By Kyle Roerink, Las Vegas Sun
CARSON CITY — Buried in the 130-page tax bill that Gov. Brian Sandoval pitched to lawmakers last week, there’s a safe haven for mining, gaming, insurance and bankers.
The tax, known as the business license fee, is a broad-based framework that would levy new dollars from the state’s 330,000 businesses based on percentages of their gross revenues every fiscal quarter. Section 20, which outlines a series of deductions and exemptions, is what all special interests are looking at in the bill. It cuts new loopholes into law and protects some industries from double taxation. An array of the state’s industries are eligible: mining companies, aircraft manufacturers, gaming operations, insurance companies, hospitals, retailers and others.
Critics of the bill say the deductions and exemptions could lead to a slippery slope of largesse as Sandoval and other lawmakers in support of the tax try to push the bill through the Legislature. In other words: If one industry gets a break, others will come with their hands out.
