Nevada

‘No Tax on Tips’ excites —and divides — Nevada voters

Published

2 years ago

August 6, 2024

‘No Tax on Tips’ excites —and divides — Nevada voters

LAS VEGAS — It’s a taxing question that might just tip the Silver State’s voting results in Donald Trump’s favor come Election Day.

Since the former president’s June 9 declaration of “No Tax on Tips” during a well-attended outdoor rally in Sin City, the idea has caught on with workers in several tip-reliant occupations, from brothels to beauty parlors.

Food and drink servers, unionized or not, also approve.

But it’s a long trip from the serving floor to the enactment of legislation. Despite an impressive lineup of backers — some of whom have no kind words for the ex-prez — the notion still faces formidable odds.

Among supporters are the Silver State’s two US Senators, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, who’ve signed on as the sole Democrat co-sponsors of the “No Tax on Tips Act” introduced in June by Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz.

In the House, Nevada Reps. Steven Horsford and Susie Lee are the only Democrats to co-sponsor Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) measure that mirrors the Cruz bill.

Progress appears slow: The Cruz bill, S. 4 621, was assigned in June to the Senate Finance committee. H.R. 8941, the Donalds bill, was sent to the House Ways and Means panel. But neither measure has been scheduled for hearings.

Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, would love to see the taxman barred from the tip jar.

Pappageorge told The Post that between 18,000 and 20,000 of his local’s 60,000 members are tipped employees.

“There’s no other concentration of tip earners that are actually represented by a union like this anywhere else” in the nation, he said.

Las Vegas has the highest concentration of tipped workers of any location in the country, a union official said. luckybusiness – stock.adobe.com

Pappageorge said his members “never had a peep” from President Joe Biden or Trump during their terms in office, but the union executive applauded the ex-prez for having “got the conversation started.”

Of greater value to tipped workers, Pappageorge said, would be to eliminate the federal “sub-minimum wage” of $2.13, where tips make up the difference between that and the $7.25 regular minimum, and just pay the regular minimum instead. Also helpful would be more sanity on the part of the IRS when the tax agency develops the “tip allocation rate,” its estimate of what tipped employees get in gratuities on which “they charge you taxes accordingly.”

Instead of setting a fixed allocation rate, the tax collectors should view tips “differently than wages,” he said. “We’re not say not taxes, but we’re saying it’s different.”

Pappageorge said the dollar amount of tips collected by his union members is not constant: “It’s up and down.”

Karen Off is the owner-operator of bustling Fringe hair salon in Mesquite, some 90 miles northeast of Las Vegas. She and the independent contractor stylists there get tips on top of fees for specific services, and Off said the idea of “no tax on tips” is appealing. “They tax us enough,” she said.

She said a tip is “an extra bonus that you earn. Because I know if I get a good waitress, she gets more than if I get somebody who never checks on me. … I earn my tips by doing a good job.”

Yolanda Scott, a 32-year Culinary Local 226 member in Las Vegas, said because of IRS tip allocations, “I just get whatever I get, because of the IRS takes control of that, and then my tips are kept. I get my tips at the end of my shift, my work shift.”

She said no taxes on tips would be “a great thing,” particularly since “everything is so expensive. I mean, we have to survive. We want to live.”

Liz Hudson, another union member who’s worked at the New York, New York casino for 25 years delivering drinks to gamblers on the casino floor, said she “would definitely benefit” from tax-free tips.

The benefit would give her “probably triple what I’m making now.”

Hudson said it would even help when patrons forget to tip when served.

“When we get stiffed, we’re getting taxed on that drink that we just brought out, and we get nothing for it,” she said. “So at least if we got rid of getting taxed, it wouldn’t be as much of a pain to not get tipped.”

Away from the Las Vegas Strip, over at the Red Rocks Casino Resort & Spa, server Bridget Brooks supports tax-free tips.

“It would be great,” she said. “They tax us so much we barely get a paycheck. I understand that the money goes to the economy, but how about taking it in other ways so they’re not taxing us more than we make?”

Not everyone is delighted with the proposal, however.

“I’m not sure why we would not tax their earnings versus other people’s earnings,” said David Neumark, distinguished professor of economics at the University of California—Irvine, who has studied the earning of tipped workers. “Everyone should be treated the same.”

He said “wages might fall” if tips aren’t taxed: “If I cut the tax on your income by 30%, your after tax income might not go up by 30% because more people may choose to work and that will lower pay.”

One business owner enthusiastically supports exempting tip income from taxes—and Trump, whose rally comments sparked the current legislation.

Bella Cummins, the 74-year-old operator of Bella’s Hacienda Ranch, a legal brothel in Wells, Nevada, near Reno, said the move would help operators lower operating costs.

“The brothel’s sex workers also benefit,” she said in a statement. “Legal sex workers are independent contractors who pay out of pocket for their medical fees, sheriff cards, and other business essentials such as adult toys and lingerie. When workers receive untaxed tips, it allows them to set more competitive prices for their services, attract more clients, enhance their reputation, and expand their customer base.”

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Nevada

Scholarships available for Nevada Youth Range Camp

Published

4 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Scholarships available for Nevada Youth Range Camp

The Nevada Division of Forestry and the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management are inviting high school-aged students from around the Silver State to participate in the 2026 Nevada Youth Range Camp essay competition.

“The Nevada Youth Range Camp is a yearly educational opportunity that has been held each summer in central Nevada since 1961,” stated a press release. “Last year, eight students were awarded scholarships and received a certificate of achievement.”

Selected essays will receive up to $250 to register for this year’s Youth Range Camp. Students must be between ages 14 and 18 in order to apply. Parental consent is also required. Essays that are flagged for plagiarism or that utilize AI will be disqualified.

“Range Camp has served Nevada’s youth for 65 years. It is a great opportunity for anyone interested in natural resources to learn basic rangeland and resource management skills,” said Kelcey Hein, Conservation Education lead at the Nevada Division of Forestry, in a statement.

According to the application form, this year’s essay prompt is:

“In your own words, tell a story or a few stories of when you were able to connect with a natural space such as a park, your backyard, a farm, a field, a forest, a beach, or so on. Please incorporate three (3) key words from the key word list that you noticed of that ecosystem into your response. Explain what you noticed about these aspects that drew your attention in that space. How did this influence you and your goals as a future steward of Natural Resources?”

Visit bit.ly/RangeCamp2026 for submission forms, essay instructions and the full rules. The contest is open until April 30.

For more information about the Nevada Division of Forestry, visit forestry.nv.gov.

Visit nevada.rangelands.org for more information about the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management.

Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com

Nevada Youth Range Camp: June 21 through June 27

“We invite high school youth to enjoy a week of fun, camping, and learning about rangelands and natural resource management,” states the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management website. “This year the camp headquarters will be located in the Timber Creek Campground area Northwest of McGill, NV. This area provides a splendid setting for learning and recreation.”

“The week is filled with many learning opportunities. Instructors teach various subjects through group investigations. Camp instructors and counselors are trained specialists from the University of Nevada, Reno; Nevada State Parks; Natural Resources Conservation Service; Bureau of Land Management; Forest Service; Nevada Division of Forestry; Nevada Division of Conservation Districts; Nevada Division of Wildlife; and others,” the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management website continues.

“Campers arrive by noon on Sunday and break camp the following Saturday morning. Campers register and form groups with an adult counselor and assistant youth counselor. The weeklong program runs from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and includes instruction, projects, rest, meals, and recreation,” the Nevada Section of the Society for Range Management website reads further. “Adult supervision occurs throughout the entire week. Parents and sponsors are welcome to visit the camp any time and are especially invited for the Friday night awards program. The evening programs are geared more for enjoyment and personal interest and include map and compass orientation, conservation skill workshops, wildlife presentations, and campfires.”

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Nevada

4 Southern Nevadans named to USA flag football national roster

Published

17 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

4 Southern Nevadans named to USA flag football national roster

Four flag football players with ties to Southern Nevada have been named to USA Football’s 2026 women’s flag national team initial roster.

Former high school standouts Akemi Higa (Desert Oasis), Kaylie Phillips (Liberty), Maci Joncich (Coronado) and Brooklin Hill (Desert Oasis) were named to the 24-person roster.

Higa just completed her senior season with Desert Oasis where she was a first-team All-Southern Nevada selection and led the state with 5,764 passing yards. She is committed to play college flag football at Nevada State University.

Hill and Phillips currently play for Nevada State. Joncich graduated from Coronado in 2024 and was on the 2025 national team.

After a training camp that will determine the traveling roster and alternates, the team will compete in the 2026 International Federation of American Football flag football world championships in Germany this August.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.

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Nevada

Nevada’s season ends with 79-65 quarterfinal loss to Auburn in NIT

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Nevada’s season ends with 79-65 quarterfinal loss to Auburn in NIT

Nevada ran into a tough Auburn team and saw its season come to an end Wednesday night.

The Tigers beat the Wolf Pack, 75-69, in the NIT men’s basketball quarterfinals, at Neville Arena, in Auburn, Ala.

Nevada ends its season at 24-13 overall (12 -8 in the Mountain West). Auburn improved to 20-16 overall (7-11 SEC) and will play Illinois State in the NIT semifinals on April 2 (6:30 p.m.) in Indianapolis, Ind. The NIT championship is set for April 5 in Indianapolis.

In the other NIT semifinal, New Mexico will play Tulsa, also on April 2 at 4 p.m.

In Wednesday’s game, Nevada sophomore Elijah Price had a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Both were game highs. Price made 9-of-13 free throws and 6-of-7 field goals. Vaughn Weems had 15 points and Corey Camper Jr. had 13.

Auburn had four players in double figures led by Filip Jovic with 18. Tahaad Pettiford had 16 points, Elyjah Freeman had 16 and Keyshawn Hall, who started his college career at UNLV in 2022-23, had 14.

Nevada battled back after trailing by 12 at the half (38-26), thanks to better long-range shooting in the second half.

Key Stats

Nevada shot 46 percent from the field (25-of-54) and 7-of-20 from 3-point range. The Pack hit 5-of-7 from the arc in the second half after hitting 2-of-13 in the first half.

Auburn shot 49 percent (30-of-61), but was just 1-of- 8 from the arc in the second half.

Nevada outscored Auburn, 43-37, in the second half.

The Wolf Pack was 12-of-17 from the free throw line and the Tigers were 9-of-14.

Nevada had 12 turnovers, to seven for Auburn.

Each team had 31 rebounds.

The Tigers had nine steals, to four for the Wolf Pack.

Nevada coach Steve Alford has 724 career wins.