Jonathan Schwartz, director of Yellow Checker Star, a leading taxicab company in Las Vegas, announced the company has donated $150,000 of its modified business tax dollars to Dinosaurs & Roses, a local nonprofit that will in turn use the money to award local scholarships for underprivileged children to attend private schools in Nevada.
During Nevada’s 2015 legislative session, Assembly Bill No. 165 (AB 165) was passed and signed into law by Gov. Brian Sandoval. AB 165 established the Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship Program. This program allows any taxpayer who is required to pay the modified business tax to receive a credit against the tax when donating money to a scholarship organization that has been approved by the Nevada Department of Education.
Tax-credit scholarships allow taxpayers to receive full or partial tax credits when they donate to nonprofits that provide private school scholarships. Eligible taxpayers can include both individuals and businesses.
The state of Nevada reported that as of November 2015 it had approved requests from qualified scholarship organizations totaling $5 million.
The new 2016-2017 school year is beginning and many local students have benefited from this bill and the scholarships. Students benefiting are members of a household whose income is not more than 300 percent of the federally designated level signifying poverty.
About Dinosaurs & Roses:
Dinosaurs & Roses is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides necessities to the community. With four stores and a scholarship program, the organization is determined to assist with touching as many lives as it can by providing the basic needs that most people take for granted. The thrift shop offers an outreach program available every Monday to families in need of clothing and shoes. Families can come by referral and shop with dignity at no cost. The nonprofit has two boutique stores, one in the Meadows Mall and one at Tivoli Village. The scholarship program, which has awarded 153 scholarships, funds children that never dreamed of attending private school. This school year, Dinosaurs & Roses will nearly double its scholarships totaling 300.
