Beers backs Guinn’s plan for refunds

David Kihara

Friday, Jan. 7, 2005 | 9:09 a.m.

Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, who originally proposed that Nevadans receive up to a $100 refund on their vehicle registration fees, is supporting Gov. Kenny Guinn's nearly identical plan.

Guinn on Thursday proposed that vehicle owners would receive a rebate of up to $300 on their vehicle registration fees. The refund would come out of the $300 million tax surplus from this year.

"I'd be willing to take the (governor's) bill draft from desk to desk to get support for it," Beers said on Thursday.

Even though Beers said he did not work with Guinn in any way on the bill draft proposal and was not consulted by the governor, he does not feel any animosity toward the governor.

"I don't care who gets the credit for it -- life's too short," he said.

Under Beers' original proposal, vehicle owners would get a 100 percent refund on their vehicle registration fee up to $100, meaning that vehicle owners who pay less than $100 a year in registration fees wouldn't get $100.

Beers said he had no problem with the governor's plan to refund $200 more than his plan because "only about 20 percent of vehicle owners would be affected by that."

Beers declined to comment on whether the governor's plan is fiscally sound, saying only that he supports it and lawmakers should look into it.

Guinn's proposal also received support from Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., who this week formed a steering committee to look at his chances at running for governor.

Guinn's term ends in 2006.

"Now that our state government enjoys a large surplus, I am pleased that Nevada's working men and women will be able to keep their hard-earned tax dollars," Gibbons said in a statement.