Lyon County is changing its definition of gas providers so businesses that sell propane, such as Winner's Corner convenience stores, won't have to pay a 2 percent tax.
County Manager Donna Kristaponis said the wording was intended for natural gas providers, and though some areas in Nevada have propane piped in, Lyon County isn't one of them. Without the added wording that changed the definition of gas providers, Winner's Corner and other retailers of propane might have been liable for the tax.
"The previous ordinance wording defined the utilities as any business or local government that provided gas service," Kristaponis said. "It wasn't intended for retailers who also sold propane." So the second sentence in the official definition now reads "Gas service does not include propane gas providers."
Lyon County commissioners voted unanimously to alter the wording.
Rudy Forster, owner of Granite Propane in Silver Springs, said, like most businessmen, he would have passed the tax on to consumers.
"It was an unjust tax for us and it would have been unfair for our customers," he said. "This has been an issue for a long time, and finally they just changed the wording."
-- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.