Author: manshipxgr

Published: November 14, 2024

By: Avery Sams, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE–The House continued Wednesday to revamp the state tax system, passing bills to cut business tax rates, eliminate credits for movie-making and historic preservation and, for the first time, tax personal use digital music, video games, audiobooks and movies. 

If the Senate agrees with the proposals, the corporate income tax rate would fall from a graduated system to a flat rate of 5.5% and then to 3.5% after 2026.

Read more at WRKF.

Published: November 11, 2024

By: Gracelyn Farrar, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE-The House Ways and Means Committee took steps Sunday toward achieving the governor’s tax overhaul by advancing a bill to cut the corporate income tax rate, now one of the highest in the nation, in stages from 7.5% to 3.5%.

The full House voted 69-6 to send the plan to the House Appropriations Committee for further consideration.

Also on Sunday, the Ways and Means Committee voted to allow parishes to eliminate the business inventory tax.

Read more at WWNO.

Published: November 8, 2024

By: Quinn Marceaux, Gracelyn Farrar and Ella Ray, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE—A House tax committee voted Thursday to advance Gov. Jeff Landry’s proposal for a flat 3% personal income tax rate.

If approved by the full House and Senate, the plan would eliminate the current income tax brackets and move the state closer to Landry’s ultimate goal of eliminating the income tax.

Thursday’s vote by the House Ways and Means Committee marked the first step in passing what is seen as Landry’s flagship portion of the tax plan introduced during his Wednesday speech at a special session of the Legislature.

“This is an income tax cut for everyone in Louisiana,” said Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, who chairs the committee. “The overall goal is to stimulate the economy and broaden our tax base. We want to show the people we are lowering their personal income tax rates, just like other states where they are thriving.”

Read more at WKRF.

Published: November 7, 2024

By: Quinn Marceaux, Anna Puleo and Avery Sams, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – Gov. Jeff Landry launched his ambitious tax plan Wednesday in a speech before a legislative special session and called for revamping the state tax code, positioning it as the largest tax cut in Louisiana history. At the heart of Landry’s plan is a call for slashing the personal income tax to a flat 3% rate and making the temporary 0.45% state sales tax permanent. Ultimately the governor’s goal is to pave the way for the elimination of the income tax in its entirety. The proposal also includes significant changes to the corporate tax structure, including the elimination of the corporate franchise tax and a reduction of the corporate income tax rate.

Read more at American Press.

Published: November 15, 2024

By: Quinn Marceaux, LSU Manship School News Service

ATON ROUGE – Gov. Jeff Landry’s ambitious tax plan, which had previously encountered minimal resistance, hit its first bump on Thursday as lawmakers balked at applying sales taxes to more goods and services that are tax-free now.

Lawmakers said Landry was unable to secure the 70 votes from the House of Representatives needed to pass a sales tax expansion that would tax more than 40 currently untaxed services, so the House delayed voting on it.

Read more at WWNO.

Published: November 13, 2024

By: Ella Ray and Grace Thompson, LSU Manship School News Service

Key provisions of the governor’s plan to cut personal income and corporate taxes passed the state House of Representatives on Tuesday. 

The House voted 87-12 to shift individual income tax rates to a flat 3% and 83-14 to eliminate the corporate franchise tax.

These bills, which now move to the Senate, are designed to shift revenue collection in the state to sales taxes on more items and away from income taxes as a bid to make Louisiana more attractive to taxpayers and businesses. 

“We’re trying to put more money in the pockets of Louisiana citizens so they can choose on the sales tax side what they purchase,” said Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, who shepherded the bills through the House floor.

Read more at Lafourche Gazette.

Published: November 13, 2024

By: Ella Ray and Grace Thompson, LSU Manship School News Service

Key provisions of Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to cut personal income and corporate taxes passed the state House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The House voted 87-12 to shift individual income tax rates to a flat 3% and 83-14 to eliminate the corporate franchise tax.

These bills, which now move to the Senate, are designed to shift revenue collection in the state to sales taxes on more items and away from income taxes as a bid to make Louisiana more attractive to taxpayers and businesses. 

“We’re trying to put more money in the pockets of Louisiana citizens so they can choose on the sales tax side what they purchase,” said Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, who shepherded the bills through the House floor.

Read more at Bossier Now.

Published: June 7, 2024

By: Elizabeth White, LSU Manship School New Service

BATON ROUGE – Three senior lawmakers said a decision last Friday to shift $717 million in state funds was one of the highlights of the legislative session that ended Monday.

The lawmakers said they supported moving the money from a state trust fund for revenue stabilization to increase spending on transportation projects, maintenance of facilities on college campuses and public safety efforts.

“We tried to address some shovel-ready projects and deferred maintenance and our water and sewer and our highway priority program, and it’s putting people to work,” Sen. Glen Womack, R-Harrisonburg, said.

Read more at Daily Advertiser.

Published: June 4, 2024

By: Elizabeth White, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE – Gov. Jeff Landry took office with a conservative agenda and a Republican super-majority in the Legislature after eight years of a Democratic governor, promising sweeping changes in this year’s legislative session.

A major focus of Landry’s agenda was to reorganize the Louisiana Constitution by moving amendments into statutes. He and conservative lawmakers made a big push for the Legislature to authorize a limited constitutional convention.

But their efforts were stymied in the Senate. It also stripped-down proposals by Landry and his supporters to provide parents with state funds to send their children to private schools and to seal many state government records from public inspection.

Read more at Daily Advertiser.

Published: June 3, 2024

By: By Elizabeth White and Maddie Scott, LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE– Gov. Jeff Landry took office with a conservative agenda and a Republican super-majority in the Legislature after eight years of a Democratic governor, promising sweeping changes in this year’s legislative session.

A major focus of Landry’s agenda was to reorganize the Louisiana Constitution by moving amendments into statutes. He and conservative lawmakers made a big push for the Legislature to authorize a limited constitutional convention.

But their efforts were stymied in the Senate. It also stripped-down proposals by Landry and his supporters to provide parents with state funds to send their children to private schools and to seal many state government records from public inspection.

Read more at The Times Houma.