LETTERS: State will lose business if Question 3 passes

To the editor:

I am a small business owner. My family has lived in multiple states and decided in 2013 that we needed to look for a new home for our business. I spent weeks doing research, and it came down to Nevada, Washington and Wyoming — all states that have no corporate tax and no income tax. We like living in the West and decided to move here after visiting Carson Valley.

Since arriving here early this year, we have hired more than 40 local workers. We feel we have made a positive impact on the community and hope to continue to grow and be successful in this state. We have donated technology equipment to local schools and nonprofits.

Our business is very much opposed to Question 3, the margins tax. If it passes, we will quickly consider moving our expanding tech business out of this state. The fair tax situation in Nevada propelled us to give your state a shot. Please do not force us, and many others who have taken the time, energy and expense to move their companies here, to find a new home out of state.

I don’t need to get into the politics of Question 3, other than to say it is a substantial tax on businesses and will cost Nevada many jobs and future opportunities. The biggest flaw is that the tax is based solely on revenue. Many businesses produce high revenue but operate on very thin profit margins and make up for that difference in sales volume. So taxing a business on revenue could easily turn a profit into a loss, and we are not in business to take a loss. We will close our doors and move if that happens.

Please vote for our collective future. Vote no on Question 3.

BRIAN LESSER

CARSON VALLEY