Commercial Ties Hurt Vegas Mob Museum’s Bid for Tax Break

Clark County, Nev., officials have denied a tax exemption for a Las Vegas museum dedicated to the history of organized crime, ruling that for-profit corporations the institution set up to secure federal financing help render it ineligible, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The Mob Museum said it would appeal to the state to reverse last week’s unanimous decision by the Clark County Board of Equalization. Museum officials maintain the facility’s tax standing should be based on its nonprofit status and overall educational mission.

The museum, which opened last year, received a $10-million federal tax credit to rehabilitate its Las Vegas building. To qualify for the program, which required third-party investors, it established three for-profit affiliates. Those entities are listed on the lease for the museum site, making it subject to $98,000 a year in property taxes, according to Clark County officials.