Republican duo revises petition to repeal Nevada commerce tax

CARSON CITY — Advocates for repealing Nevada’s commerce tax have filed a revised petition to reflect the financial impact outlined in a Legislative Counsel Bureau analysis.

Nevada Controller Ron Knecht and former Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers, both Republicans, filed the new petition with the Secretary of State’s office on Friday. They want voters to overturn the tax passed by the Nevada Legislature in 2015. The tax applies to businesses with annual gross revenues that exceed $4 million.

The fiscal note estimated the financial impact of a repeal at about $161.3 million in Fiscal Year 2019 and $97 million annually in fiscal 2020 and beyond.

Knecht said Tuesday that is the only change in the new petition.

If petitioners can collect 112,544 signatures from registered Nevada voters, a referendum asking to repeal the tax will be on the ballot in the 2018 general election. The deadline to get the signatures is June 19, 2018.

Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval spearheaded passage of the commerce tax as part of a push to better fund and reform public education in Nevada.

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Follow @seanw801 on Twitter.