Vegas firms seek tax breaks

Friday, Sept. 7, 2001 | 10:36 a.m.

Two Las Vegas-area companies -- one new, one expanding -- are seeking nearly $500,000 in tax incentives from the state of Nevada.

The applications of Metro Press Inc. and the Griffin Group will be considered at the Sept. 12 meeting of the Nevada Commission on Economic Development. Together, the two companies plan to add 63 jobs to the local economy.

Griffin, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cardinal Health Inc., plans to add 32 jobs to its service and financial processing center on East Flamingo Road in southeast Las Vegas, at an average wage of $16.29 per hour. The company is purchasing nearly $3.5 million in computer equipment for the expansion, and is asking for a sales and use tax abatement on that equipment of $182,489. Griffin is also seeking an abatement of its business -- a quarterly tax paid per employee -- of $6,400.

Griffin is also requesting a personal property tax abatement of up to $54,000. This request must be separately approved by Clark County and the Clark County School District.

Metro Press is a new printing company that would produce items such as magazines, catalogs and directories. It says it wants to capture existing printing accounts currently handled in nearby states, such as Utah, Arizona and California. The company plans to invest $4.7 million in equipment, and create 31 jobs at an average wage of $18.24 per hour.

Metro Press is seeking a sales/use tax abatement of just under $250,000 and a business tax abatement. The company has yet to select an exact location for its plant, and has told the commission its decision to locate the business here is dependent on the incentives.

A public hearing on the requests will be held Sept. 12 at 9:30 a.m., at the Sawyer Office Building, Room 4401, in Las Vegas.