1. A person who owns a business which is located within an enterprise community established pursuant to 24 C.F.R. Part 597 in this State may submit a request to the governing body of the county, city or town in which the business is located for an endorsement of an application by the person to the Office of Economic Development for a partial abatement of one or more of the taxes imposed pursuant to chapter 361 of NRS or the local sales and use taxes. The governing body of the county, city or town shall provide notice of the request to the board of trustees of the school district in which the business operates. The notice must set forth the date, time and location of the hearing at which the governing body will consider whether to endorse the application. As used in this subsection, “local sales and use taxes” means the taxes imposed on the gross receipts of any retailer from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail, or stored, used or otherwise consumed, in the political subdivision in which the business is located, except the taxes imposed by the Sales and Use Tax Act and the Local School Support Tax Law.

2. The governing body of a county, city or town shall develop procedures for:

(a) Evaluating whether such an abatement would be beneficial for the economic development of the county, city or town.

(b) Issuing a certificate of endorsement for an application for such an abatement that is found to be beneficial for the economic development of the county, city or town.

3. A person whose application has been endorsed by the governing body of the county, city or town, as applicable, pursuant to this section may submit the application to the Office of Economic Development. The Office shall approve the application if the Office makes the following determinations:

(a) The business is consistent with:

(1) The State Plan for Economic Development developed by the Administrator pursuant to subsection 2 of NRS 231.053; and

(2) Any guidelines adopted by the Administrator to implement the State Plan for Economic Development.

(b) The applicant has executed an agreement with the Office which states:

(1) The date on which the abatement becomes effective, as agreed to by the applicant and the Office, which must not be earlier than the date on which the Office received the application; and

(2) That the business will, after the date on which the abatement becomes effective:

(I) Continue in operation in the enterprise community for a period specified by the Office, which must be at least 5 years; and

(II) Continue to meet the eligibility requirements set forth in this subsection.

The agreement must bind successors in interest of the business for the specified period.

(c) The business is registered pursuant to the laws of this State or the applicant commits to obtain a valid business license and all other permits required by the county, city or town in which the business operates.

(d) The business:

(1) Employs one or more dislocated workers who reside in the enterprise community; and

(2) Pays such employees a wage of not less than 100 percent of the federally designated level signifying poverty for a family of four persons and provides medical benefits to the employees and their dependents which meet the minimum requirements for medical benefits established by the Office.

4. If the Office of Economic Development approves an application for a partial abatement, the Office shall:

(a) Determine the percentage of employees of the business which meet the requirements of paragraph (d) of subsection 3 and grant a partial abatement equal to that percentage; and

(b) Immediately forward a certificate of eligibility for the abatement to:

(1) The Department of Taxation;

(2) The Nevada Tax Commission; and

(3) If the partial abatement is from the property tax imposed pursuant to chapter 361 of NRS, the county treasurer of the county in which the business is located.

5. If the Office of Economic Development approves an application for a partial abatement pursuant to this section:

(a) The partial abatement must be for a duration of not less than 1 year but not more than 5 years.

(b) If the abatement is from the property tax imposed pursuant to chapter 361 of NRS, the partial abatement must not exceed 75 percent of the taxes on personal property payable by a business each year pursuant to that chapter.

6. If a business whose partial abatement has been approved pursuant to this section and is in effect ceases:

(a) To meet the eligibility requirements for the partial abatement; or

(b) Operation before the time specified in the agreement described in paragraph (b) of subsection 3,

the business shall repay to the Department of Taxation or, if the partial abatement was from the property tax imposed pursuant to chapter 361 of NRS, to the county treasurer, the amount of the exemption that was allowed pursuant to this section before the failure of the business to comply unless the Nevada Tax Commission determines that the business has substantially complied with the requirements of this section. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 360.232 and 360.320, the business shall, in addition to the amount of the exemption required to be paid pursuant to this subsection, pay interest on the amount due at the rate most recently established pursuant to NRS 99.040 for each month, or portion thereof, from the last day of the month following the period for which the payment would have been made had the partial abatement not been approved until the date of payment of the tax.

7. The Office of Economic Development:

(a) Shall adopt regulations relating to the minimum level of benefits that a business must provide to its employees to qualify for an abatement pursuant to this section.

(b) May adopt such other regulations as the Office determines to be necessary or advisable to carry out the provisions of this section.

8. An applicant for an abatement who is aggrieved by a final decision of the Office of Economic Development may petition for judicial review in the manner provided in chapter 233B of NRS.

9. As used in this section, “dislocated worker” means a person who:

(a) Has been terminated, laid off or received notice of termination or layoff from employment;

(b) Is eligible for or receiving or has exhausted his or her entitlement to unemployment compensation;

(c) Has been dependent on the income of another family member but is no longer supported by that income;

(d) Has been self-employed but is no longer receiving an income from self-employment because of general economic conditions in the community or natural disaster; or

(e) Is currently unemployed and unable to return to a previous industry or occupation.

(Added to NRS by 2005, 641; A 2011, 3456; 2013, 27th Special Session, 25; 2015, 1078, 3056; 2019, 2232)