$3.5 mil. collected in tax amnesty

Wednesday, July 3, 2002 | 9:24 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The state has collected an extra $3.5 million from taxpayers who either didn't know, forgot or tried to avoid paying their just dues.

Although the amount was less than expected, it will help the state, school districts and local governments fill some gaps in their short budgets.

The five-month tax amnesty program, started by the state Tax Commission, closed Sunday. Dino DiCianno, interim director of the state Department of Taxation, said it is accepting payments that are postmarked July 1 because June 30 fell on a Sunday.

He said Tuesday some of the payments are still being processed, so the amount will exceed $3.5 million.

Carole Vilardo, executive director of the Nevada Taxpayers Association, said she had expected the amnesty program to yield $4 million to $5 million because of the growth of business in Nevada.

In 1993, an amnesty program on the use tax yielded $2.5 million in tax revenues from 1,800 businesses. There were 43,000 businesses registered with the taxation department that year.

This year there are 203,000 businesses registered. And only 125 took advantage of the amnesty program in which penalties and interest were waived on back taxes on business, sales, use, tires, other tobacco products and car rentals.

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