Sandoval business fee bill to be introduced Wednesday

CARSON CITY — A bill detailing Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposal to overhaul Nevada’s business license fees to fund his education priorities is expected to be introduced in the Nevada Senate on Wednesday.

The bill will be the focus of a hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. March 18 before a joint session of the Senate Revenue and Assembly Taxation committees, Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Henderson, said Tuesday. Other regularly scheduled committee hearings are being canceled to allow a full afternoon devoted to the bill, he said.

Sandoval’s plan is the cornerstone of an ambitious agenda to pump more money into education.

Outlined in his State of the State address in January, the Republican governor wants to replace the current business license fee with a tiered scale based on gross receipts.

Businesses large and small currently pay a flat $200 per year, and the fee generates about $68 million annually for the state general fund. Sandoval’s wants to impose fees based on the type of industry and gross receipts. As described earlier, rates would vary depending on 30 different industry categories and range from a minimum $400 up to $4 million, though no company currently meets the income threshold for the highest fee.

It was estimated the measure would raise $250 million a year.