Latest news with #TedPappageorge


New York Post
09-08-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Tipping in Las Vegas drops drastically — tourists say service doesn't match higher costs
Las Vegas servers say they're feeling the heat as high prices and declining tourism hammer their tip earnings across the Strip. Tipping in Sin City is reportedly down by as much as 50% among servers, as some of them blame the economy and policy while others point to high prices, a tipping backlash and poor service. Advertisement On Reddit's r/VegasLocals forum, one cocktail waitress wrote, 'I used to average about 80 cents a drink. Now I'm averaging about 10 cents.' 'We are working triple what we used to and making a quarter of what we did,' another person added on the forum. Jacob Soto, 22, a supervisor at Pinkbox Doughnuts in downtown Las Vegas, told The Wall Street Journal that he used to make up to $200 a week in credit card tips, but now only earns between $100 and $150. While the city saw an 11.3% drop in overall visitation in June compared to the same time last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), international travel to Vegas is down approximately 10% year over year. Advertisement Ted Pappageorge, secretary-treasurer of the Culinary Workers Union, which represents 60,000 Vegas workers, said federal immigration and economic policies are keeping international travelers away. Servers in Las Vegas, Nevada, say they are not earning as much in tips due to rising prices and declining tourism to Sin City. MargJohnsonVA – 'The unions and the industry and the government need to get together and repair the damage and welcome tourism back,' he told Fox News Digital. Pappageorge called the tipped income tax exemption proposed in President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' a 'welcome relief.' Advertisement He pointed out, however, that if workers aren't 'making the tips, the credit doesn't help.' He said companies have already frozen hiring and made targeted staffing cuts, with part-time workers – who make up 25% of the union's membership – being the first to lose hours. 'If it continues, it could bleed into the full-timers,' he added. Some industry observers assert the problem is more local. Advertisement 'Many attribute this not only to a general dip in international travel demand to the U.S., but also to aggressive price-gouging by hospitality venues,' Rob DelliBovi, a consultant and founder of the Miami-based RDB Hospitality Group, told Fox News Digital. 'Guests are pushing back on $18 bottles of water in the minibar and $37 martinis.' Many people in the r/VegasLocals thread agree. Said one Redditor, 'Twenty-five-dollar drinks … $30 pancakes, $35 burgers … and on top of it you have to tip?' Tipping has gone down by as much as 50% as servers claim the economy and poor service are to blame for the dramatic dropoff. StockPhotoAstur – Added another person, 'Nobody wants to give you 20% on top of the already exorbitantly overpriced s—.' A beer recently cost nearly $15 at a casino, yet another person said. 'What that translates to is me drinking less beer and tipping less,' the person said. Advertisement 'I understand that casinos have costs, but this is absurd.' 'I'm tired of tipping for everything, as quality of service has consistently gone down,' another person wrote. One Vegas waitress, who requested anonymity out of fear of losing her job, also said she thinks the quality of service has declined. Advertisement 'For the price, it should be impeccable,' she told Fox News Digital. She said aggressive upselling tactics, repetitive restaurant concepts and a lack of genuine hospitality are turning off tourists and locals alike. As a result, she said she's also seen tip revenue decrease by half compared to last summer. The waitress said businesses on the Strip need to return to the basics of hospitality and focus on local clientele rather than only international customers. Advertisement 'The locals don't want to pay double for food that's not any better and for servers to be rude,' she said. Despite the downturn, Vegas has not lost its hustle yet, DelliBovi said. 'Sales teams in Las Vegas are already strategizing on how to reinvigorate the market and drive business back up for the fall,' he said. Advertisement Even as reports indicate Las Vegas tourism is down overall, Circa Resort & Casino CEO Derek Stevens recently told Fox News Digital the assessment may be 'premature.' 'In specific pockets, like where we at Circa Las Vegas are located in downtown — I think people feel there's maybe a little better value. Things were really booming,' Stevens said. He added, 'If you really start unpeeling some layers of the onion in Las Vegas, I think you're going to find companies that have very specific areas that are a little less subject to the economy and that are doing OK.'
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'No tax on tips' is now law. What does that mean for tipped workers?
President Trump began touting his plan to end taxes on tips on the campaign trail in Nevada, a swing state where there are tens of thousands of tip earners working in and around the Las Vegas strip. Fast-forward a year, and the catchphrase 'no tax on tips' has become a key highlight of the president's signature tax and spending law. Many workers who have historically received tips will be able to deduct up to $25,000 in tips from their taxable income through 2028. The deduction begins phasing out at incomes above $150,000, and workers will still have to pay federal taxes on tips beyond the $25,000 cap. But labor advocates say Trump's big promise has morphed into a more complicated policy reality, and lower-income workers may be left out. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's AGB and Datenschutzerklärung Other tipped workers, meanwhile, may be left frustrated by the deduction cap, the policy's limited time frame, and the disparities it may create between front-of-house and back-of-house restaurant staff. Workers have also expressed confusion online about whether they will see an immediate difference in their pay or will have to wait until next year's tax season to benefit. In Nevada, the Culinary Union — which includes 60,000 workers in casinos, restaurants, bars, and more in Las Vegas and Reno — has spoken out in favor of tax relief for tipped workers. But a statement from Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge described the bill's effects for the working-class as temporary, 'while windfall tax cuts for billionaires and the rich are permanent.' Elyanna Calle, the Austin-based president of Restaurant Workers United, also told Yahoo Finance that service industry workers would be better served by making a livable wage, adding that many back-of-house workers — line cooks and dishwashers, for example — will not be helped by the 'no tax on tips' policy. For tipped workers, ''No taxes on tips' just creates a larger reliance on tips, instead of solving the issue of base wages — wages that workers can rely on, and budget on, and count on,' Calle said. Some labor advocacy organizations have also pointed out that cuts to Medicaid and food assistance are likely to hit the same working-class people meant to benefit from the 'no tax on tips' policy, chipping away at potential gains. One Fair Wage said in a May report that an estimated 45% of the 2.75 million restaurant and tipped workers who rely on Medicaid could lose coverage. Tipped income has been subject to taxation for over a century, said Lawrence Zelenak, a tax law professor at Duke Law School. But until the early 1980s, 'enforcement was extremely bad' and the compliance rate was incredibly low — about 16% in 1981, Zelenak said. Though Congress sought stricter tax requirements in 1982, the solution was that larger restaurants were required to allocate and report tips equal to at least 8% of sales among tipped workers. The compliance rate effectively rose to about 50% as a result, according to Zelenak. Still, tips received in cash were difficult to track, and many tips were left untaxed. That changed as more customers began to tip with credit cards, which gave the IRS more information and improved compliance even more, taxing a greater share of tips. As for why Republicans sought a deduction in the tax bill and not totally removing taxes on tips, 'that's complicated,' Zelenak said. To enact no taxes on tips, lawmakers could have written a provision that excluded tips from gross income, Zelenak said. 'Instead, you still have to report tips as part of your gross income, but then you can claim a deduction for tips received.' The deduction helps 'only if you have some taxable income to offset,' Zelenak said. 'If your income is low enough that it would all be sheltered by the standard deduction anyway — which would be true of tipped workers at or near the minimum wage — then this doesn't do you any good.' Right now, the major question for tipped workers may be whether this will impact their paychecks immediately. 'There are not going to be immediate withholding adjustments on waiters and waitresses, or those receiving tips,' said Steven Elliott, a tax director at Mercer Advisors, a registered investment advisor and full-service wealth manager. 'It may come into play later in the year, maybe fourth quarter, but this is going to be mostly a positive adjustment for folks when they file their returns after receiving their W-2s." Learn more: What is a W-2 form? 'They'll get a nice surprise, those that qualify, to get a larger refund,' Elliott said. However, tipped workers could also file an updated W-4 and lower their withholding for a quicker benefit. Workers can get a faster refund through electronic filing and using direct deposit, Elliott added. In the near term, he recommended that tipped workers begin taking a closer look at their pay stubs to understand their elections and ensure they're not surprised when they receive their W-2. Emma Ockerman is a Senior Reporter for Yahoo Finance covering economic and labor issues in personal finance. Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'No tax on tips' is now law. What does that mean for tipped workers?
President Trump began touting his plan to end taxes on tips on the campaign trail in Nevada, a swing state where there are tens of thousands of tip earners working in and around the Las Vegas strip. Fast-forward a year, and the catchphrase 'no tax on tips' has become a key highlight of the president's signature tax and spending law. Many workers who have historically received tips will be able to deduct up to $25,000 in tips from their taxable income through 2028. The deduction begins phasing out at incomes above $150,000, and workers will still have to pay federal taxes on tips beyond the $25,000 cap. But labor advocates say Trump's big promise has morphed into a more complicated policy reality, and lower-income workers may be left out. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy Other tipped workers, meanwhile, may be left frustrated by the deduction cap, the policy's limited time frame, and the disparities it may create between front-of-house and back-of-house restaurant staff. Workers have also expressed confusion online about whether they will see an immediate difference in their pay or will have to wait until next year's tax season to benefit. In Nevada, the Culinary Union — which includes 60,000 workers in casinos, restaurants, bars, and more in Las Vegas and Reno — has spoken out in favor of tax relief for tipped workers. But a statement from Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge described the bill's effects for the working-class as temporary, 'while windfall tax cuts for billionaires and the rich are permanent.' Elyanna Calle, the Austin-based president of Restaurant Workers United, also told Yahoo Finance that service industry workers would be better served by making a livable wage, adding that many back-of-house workers — line cooks and dishwashers, for example — will not be helped by the 'no tax on tips' policy. For tipped workers, ''No taxes on tips' just creates a larger reliance on tips, instead of solving the issue of base wages — wages that workers can rely on, and budget on, and count on,' Calle said. Some labor advocacy organizations have also pointed out that cuts to Medicaid and food assistance are likely to hit the same working-class people meant to benefit from the 'no tax on tips' policy, chipping away at potential gains. One Fair Wage said in a May report that an estimated 45% of the 2.75 million restaurant and tipped workers who rely on Medicaid could lose coverage. Tipped income has been subject to taxation for over a century, said Lawrence Zelenak, a tax law professor at Duke Law School. But until the early 1980s, 'enforcement was extremely bad' and the compliance rate was incredibly low — about 16% in 1981, Zelenak said. Though Congress sought stricter tax requirements in 1982, the solution was that larger restaurants were required to allocate and report tips equal to at least 8% of sales among tipped workers. The compliance rate effectively rose to about 50% as a result, according to Zelenak. Still, tips received in cash were difficult to track, and many tips were left untaxed. That changed as more customers began to tip with credit cards, which gave the IRS more information and improved compliance even more, taxing a greater share of tips. As for why Republicans sought a deduction in the tax bill and not totally removing taxes on tips, 'that's complicated,' Zelenak said. To enact no taxes on tips, lawmakers could have written a provision that excluded tips from gross income, Zelenak said. 'Instead, you still have to report tips as part of your gross income, but then you can claim a deduction for tips received.' The deduction helps 'only if you have some taxable income to offset,' Zelenak said. 'If your income is low enough that it would all be sheltered by the standard deduction anyway — which would be true of tipped workers at or near the minimum wage — then this doesn't do you any good.' Right now, the major question for tipped workers may be whether this will impact their paychecks immediately. 'There are not going to be immediate withholding adjustments on waiters and waitresses, or those receiving tips,' said Steven Elliott, a tax director at Mercer Advisors, a registered investment advisor and full-service wealth manager. 'It may come into play later in the year, maybe fourth quarter, but this is going to be mostly a positive adjustment for folks when they file their returns after receiving their W-2s." Learn more: What is a W-2 form? 'They'll get a nice surprise, those that qualify, to get a larger refund,' Elliott said. However, tipped workers could also file an updated W-4 and lower their withholding for a quicker benefit. Workers can get a faster refund through electronic filing and using direct deposit, Elliott added. In the near term, he recommended that tipped workers begin taking a closer look at their pay stubs to understand their elections and ensure they're not surprised when they receive their W-2. Emma Ockerman is a Senior Reporter for Yahoo Finance covering economic and labor issues in personal finance. Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘No tax on tips' is now law. What does that mean for tipped workers?
President Trump began touting his plan to end taxes on tips on the campaign trail in Nevada, a swing state where there are tens of thousands of tip earners working in and around the Las Vegas strip. Fast-forward a year, and the catchphrase 'no tax on tips' has become a key highlight of the president's signature tax and spending law. Many workers who have historically received tips will be able to deduct up to $25,000 in tips from their taxable income through 2028. The deduction begins phasing out at incomes above $150,000, and workers will still have to pay federal taxes on tips beyond the $25,000 cap. But labor advocates say Trump's big promise has morphed into a more complicated policy reality, and lower-income workers may be left out. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy Other tipped workers, meanwhile, may be left frustrated by the deduction cap, the policy's limited time frame, and the disparities it may create between front-of-house and back-of-house restaurant staff. Workers have also expressed confusion online about whether they will see an immediate difference in their pay or will have to wait until next year's tax season to benefit. In Nevada, the Culinary Union — which includes 60,000 workers in casinos, restaurants, bars, and more in Las Vegas and Reno — has spoken out in favor of tax relief for tipped workers. But a statement from Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge described the bill's effects for the working-class as temporary, 'while windfall tax cuts for billionaires and the rich are permanent.' Elyanna Calle, the Austin-based president of Restaurant Workers United, also told Yahoo Finance that service industry workers would be better served by making a livable wage, adding that many back-of-house workers — line cooks and dishwashers, for example — will not be helped by the 'no tax on tips' policy. For tipped workers, ''No taxes on tips' just creates a larger reliance on tips, instead of solving the issue of base wages — wages that workers can rely on, and budget on, and count on,' Calle said. Some labor advocacy organizations have also pointed out that cuts to Medicaid and food assistance are likely to hit the same working-class people meant to benefit from the 'no tax on tips' policy, chipping away at potential gains. One Fair Wage said in a May report that an estimated 45% of the 2.75 million restaurant and tipped workers who rely on Medicaid could lose coverage. Tipped income has been subject to taxation for over a century, said Lawrence Zelenak, a tax law professor at Duke Law School. But until the early 1980s, 'enforcement was extremely bad' and the compliance rate was incredibly low — about 16% in 1981, Zelenak said. Though Congress sought stricter tax requirements in 1982, the solution was that larger restaurants were required to allocate and report tips equal to at least 8% of sales among tipped workers. The compliance rate effectively rose to about 50% as a result, according to Zelenak. Still, tips received in cash were difficult to track, and many tips were left untaxed. That changed as more customers began to tip with credit cards, which gave the IRS more information and improved compliance even more, taxing a greater share of tips. As for why Republicans sought a deduction in the tax bill and not totally removing taxes on tips, 'that's complicated,' Zelenak said. To enact no taxes on tips, lawmakers could have written a provision that excluded tips from gross income, Zelenak said. 'Instead, you still have to report tips as part of your gross income, but then you can claim a deduction for tips received.' The deduction helps 'only if you have some taxable income to offset,' Zelenak said. 'If your income is low enough that it would all be sheltered by the standard deduction anyway — which would be true of tipped workers at or near the minimum wage — then this doesn't do you any good.' Right now, the major question for tipped workers may be whether this will impact their paychecks immediately. 'There are not going to be immediate withholding adjustments on waiters and waitresses, or those receiving tips,' said Steven Elliott, a tax director at Mercer Advisors, a registered investment advisor and full-service wealth manager. 'It may come into play later in the year, maybe fourth quarter, but this is going to be mostly a positive adjustment for folks when they file their returns after receiving their W-2s." Learn more: What is a W-2 form? 'They'll get a nice surprise, those that qualify, to get a larger refund,' Elliott said. However, tipped workers could also file an updated W-4 and lower their withholding for a quicker benefit. Workers can get a faster refund through electronic filing and using direct deposit, Elliott added. In the near term, he recommended that tipped workers begin taking a closer look at their pay stubs to understand their elections and ensure they're not surprised when they receive their W-2. Emma Ockerman is a Senior Reporter for Yahoo Finance covering economic and labor issues in personal finance. 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Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dozens of measures met their demise in Carson City last week
(Photo: Richard Bednarski/Nevada Current) Approximately a quarter of the 1,093 bills and resolutions introduced into the Nevada State Legislature's 2025 Session are now considered dead after failing to meet a key deadline last week. Bills and resolutions had to pass out of a committee by Friday, which marked day 68 of the 120-day session; 281 did not. The remainder of the bills either did advance or are exempt from the deadlines. Among the most high profile to die on Friday: a proposal to amend the Nevada Constitution to allow for a state lottery. Assembly Joint Resolution 5 was passed by the 2023 Legislature and needed to be passed by the 2025 Legislature in order to advance to the 2026 General Election ballot for final approval by voters. It was not given a hearing before Friday's deadline. The lottery proposal was pushed by Culinary Union, which on Monday issued a statement deriding Democratic leadership for not giving the resolution a hearing this session. 'With federal cuts looming, uncertainty around the state budget, and lack of funding for education and mental health, Nevadans need real solutions and we need it now,' Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said in a statement. 'Politicians cannot complain about budget shortfalls while refusing to even consider a bill that would bring in new revenue.' A second bill being pushed by Culinary, Senate Bill 360, also died Friday. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo had said he would veto the bill if it made it to his desk, and the bill would have faced significant resistance in the Legislature anyway. Dubbed the Hotel Safety Act, SB360 was sponsored by state Sen. Lori Rogich, a Republican who Culinary endorsed over a Democratic incumbent in last year's general election. Culinary had previously endorsed the incumbent, Dallas Harris, but withdrew support for her and other Democrats after they voted against a similar room cleaning proposal in 2023. (Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, who sponsored the lottery resolution, was also 'unendorsed.') Another high-profile bill that died Friday was Senate Bill 415, which would have allowed local jurisdictions to use automated traffic enforcement cameras. The more sweeping of two red light camera bills introduced this session, SB415 was considered problematic by civil rights groups like the ACLU of Nevada. The second red light camera bill, Democratic Assemblymember Selena Torres-Fossett's Assembly Bill 402, is still alive. That bill is exempt from standard deadlines but cleared the Assembly Growth and Infrastructure Committee last week. It would authorize traffic monitoring cameras in construction work zones when workers are present. Opponents of automated red light cameras say they will continue monitoring bills to see if lawmakers attempt to amend parts of SB415 into other bills, including AB402. 'The deployment of red-light cameras is often framed as a matter of public safety, but in reality, most civil liberties abuses happen under the guise of public safety,' said ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Athar Haseebullah in a statement Monday. Two bills sponsored on behalf of the Nevada Highway Patrol also failed to advance. Assembly Bill 54 would have subjected a driver to a felony if they failed to move over for an emergency services provider and that resulted in the death of a first responder. The bill received a hearing but was not passed out of committee. A second Nevada Highway Patrol proposal, Senate Bill 37 would have criminalized road rage. It never received a hearing. Other bills and resolutions the Nevada Current has covered that are now dead: Assembly Joint Resolution 6, sponsored by 27 Democrats. The resolution, which passed in 2023 but needed to be passed once more by the Legislature and then by voters, would have had Nevada enter the National Popular Vote Compact, an interstate agreement wherein states commit to allocating their electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote. AJR6 was not given a hearing by the Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections. Assembly Bill 33, sponsored by Republican State Controller Andy Matthews. The bill would have established a Nevada Inspector General. Described by some as having 'DOGE vibes,' the bill was heard by the Assembly Government Affairs Committee but no action was taken. Assembly Bill 141, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Duy Nguyen. The bill would have required judicial candidates to have participated in at least 10 trials. The bill received a poor reception in the Assembly Judiciary Committee during its hearing and no action was taken. Senate Bill 242, sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Edgar Flores. The bill would have prohibited investment companies from purchasing residential properties unless they have been listed on the market for at least 30 days. The bill never received a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee, but other attempts to rein in corporate ownership of single-family homes did move forward. Assembly Bill 129, sponsored by Republican Assemblymember Jill Dickman, and Senate Bill 221 and Senate Bill 222, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Carrie Ann Buck. This trio of homeowners association bills died without receiving hearings, but at least half a dozen other HOA-focused bills have advanced. Of course, nothing is ever truly dead in the Legislature. For proof of that, just look to Assembly Bill 381, dubbed Reba's Law, which mandates prison time for killing a domestic animal. Sponsored by Republican Assemblymember Melissa Hardy, the bill failed to advance out of committee by Friday's committee deadline only to be posthumously given a waiver and advanced on Monday.