LBP Statement on Governor’s Tax-Shift Plan

(Baton Rouge – Mar. 14, 2012)  Louisiana Budget Project Director Jan Moller issued the following statement in response to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposed income tax elimination:

“Eliminating Louisiana’s income tax and raising the sales tax would jeopardize our state’s economy while raising taxes on the middle-class and low-income families. The plan just shifts who pays taxes, and a tax shift is not tax reform.

“The governor’s proposal won’t help small businesses create new jobs in Louisiana, but it will make it harder for Louisiana to invest in things that boost the economy and attract businesses, such as good schools and universities that provide a skilled workforce.

“And, it will only make worse the state’s chronic revenue problems, which have resulted in five straight years of mid-year budget cuts.”

The governor's plan will mainly benefit corporations and the wealthy, while working and middle-class families will pay more for services and products we use every day such as diapers, garbage collection, haircuts and home repairs. Louisiana’s tax system certainly needs to be improved, but this is the wrong way to do it.
Gov. Jeff Landry has called the Legislature into a special session to overhaul Louisiana’s tax structure.