Tuesday, January 21, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Proposed Tax Increases

Gov. Kenny Guinn has proposed several tax increases and new taxes to support state spending in the 2003-05 budget.

• Total tax increases of nearly $1 billion over the next two fiscal years, plus an additional $84 million in increases from April through June.

• Starting April 1, increasing the $100 per employee annual business license tax to $300. The new tax would bring in about $180 million per year.

• Starting April 1, increasing the 35-cent per pack cigarette tax to $1.05. The increase would raise the price of a $3.50 pack of cigarettes to $4.20 and bring in $120 million per year.

• A 7.3 percent tax on admissions to movies, professional sporting events and strip clubs, and on amusements such as videocassette and DVD rentals. An $8.50 movie ticket would cost at least $9.13, and a $3.50 movie rental would cost $3.76. The new tax would produce about $85 million per year.

• A property tax increase of 15 cents per $100 in assessed value starting July 2004. The owner of a $200,000 home would pay an additional $105 per year. The increase would bring in $100 million per year.

• A 89 percent increase in alcohol taxes. The beer tax, now 9 cents per gallon, would increase to 17 cents. The wine tax, now 40 cents per gallon, would increase to 76 cents per gallon. The liquor tax, now $2.05 per gallon, would increase to $3.87. The tax would increase the price of a six-pack of beer by about 4.5 cents, and the price of a 750-milliliter bottle of whiskey by about 36 cents. The tax would bring in about $17.5 million per year.

• A 50 percent increase in fees charged by the secretary of state's office to incorporate businesses. The tax would generate about $30 million per year.

• A 0.25 percent gross receipts tax on all business revenue above $450,000 in one year, starting in July 2005. A business with annual revenues of $1 million would pay about $1,375. The tax would generate more than $220 million per year. The state would spend an estimated $30 million over the next two years to provide equipment and additional employees to allow the Department of Taxation to collect this new tax and other taxes.

• A 0.25 percentage point increase in the gross gaming tax starting in July 2005 from 6.25 percent to 6.5 percent. The increase would bring in about $25 million per year.

• Recommendation that the Legislature consider levying sales taxes on some untaxed professional and discretionary services, such as attorney fees and lawn maintenance services, starting in 2007-08. These taxes could bring in a maximum of $900 million per year.

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