Senator Alvarado-Gil Proposes Tax Break For Snow Removal Equipment

Archive Photo taken by: John Adema

Sacramento, CA — Cities and counties would receive a sales and use tax exemption on the purchase of snow removal equipment under a bill introduced by Mother Lode Democratic Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil.

Senate Bill 546 advanced through the Senate Governance and Finance Committee with a 5-2 vote. Alvarado-Gil says, “The 2023 storms left more than 6,000 customers stranded between ice walls and without power or water in the Sierra Nevada.”

During the hearing, a representative of Truckee stated that the bill would have saved that community $80,000 over the past four years, which could have been spent on other services.

In an effort to gain wider support for the measure, Alvarado-Gil added, “Each one of my colleagues in the Legislature has at least one constituent who owns a second home in Lake Tahoe. This underscores the urgent need to support our public entities and ensure they have the best tools at their disposal to alleviate safety concerns for residents and public safety officials alike.”

The bill is supported by groups like the California Ski Industry Association, the California State Association of Counties, and the California League of Cities, and the Sierra Business Council.