With another week of long floor sessions at the Nevada Legislature, let's take a look at bipartisan bills aimed at improving the state's economy.
Republican Assemblyman Brian Hibbetts says a certain type of Nevada small business will go elsewhere if the legislature does not give them relief.
Assembly Bill 232 would reduce taxes on premium hand rolled cigars in Nevada. These cigars are defined as cigars that are wrapped fully with tobacco leaves and do not have filters of mouthpieces.
Currently, there is a 30% wholesale tax on premium cigars, which means 30% is collected prior to the cigars even being put on the shelf.
In real dollars, as cigar that sells for $10 dollars is taxed $3 dollars. Whereas, in Arizona there is a 22% sales tax on cigars. So, a $10-dollar cigar in Arizona gets taxed just 22 cents after sale.
AB232 would cap the tax on premium cigars to no more than 50 cents per cigar.
"This bill has been done in various forms almost identical to this in numerous other states and every single state has shown that not only do we make up the loss in cigar taxes in revenue, we actually make up more. This bill was done in Michigan with a five year sunset on it. That sunset was extended, and it was eliminated and signed into law by Governor Whitmer, so this a bipartisan issue. It was passed out of committee in a bipartisan panel, and I think it's just good common sense policy,” said (R-Las Vegas) Assemblyman Brian Hibbetts.
Another bill aimed at improving economics is Assembly Bill 429, which would appropriate $2 million dollars into the Nevada Fund for Aviation.
The $2 million would get matched with $32 million from the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) to build up and offer more flights, at rural airports outside of Washoe and Clark counties. It would also help with medical flights and wildland firefighting aviation.
Assemblyman Burt Gurr is leading the bill. Gurr represents the 30 million acre District 33 which runs from the Idaho to California border, and has three rural towns that would benefit from increased flights.
"We have no flights that generate in Nevada that gets to Nevada from Elko. Right now, if you want to fly to Reno you have to fly to Salt Lake first to get to Reno. To get to Vegas, it's the same thing. And, those are the only two cities you can fly to from Elko. But, this doesn't just affect the Elko airport. Part of it is for generating improvements to smaller airports in the state,” said (R-Elko, Ely, Pahrum) Assemblyman Burt Gurr.
AB429 would put Air Service Development Commission under the Governor's Office of Economic Development, with members representing a cross section of critical industries.
