An article in the Baton Rouge Business Report on March 8th discusses repealing, or at least pausing some tax breaks and incentives that are costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars in lost tax revenue. Here is an excerpt:
Eddie Ashworth, director of the Louisiana Budget Project, is among the growing chorus arguing that repealing, or at least pausing, some of those tax breaks might make more sense than slashing education or health care. He says exemptions cost the state some $7.1 billion last year, nearly as much as the $7.7 billion or so in state revenue expected this year.
“We’re long since past the skin and the muscle,” he says. “We’re sawing on bone now.” Ashworth isn’t saying lawmakers shouldn’t cut spending; he just thinks they could use a “more balanced approach.” The Budget Project is part of the Better Choices for a Better Louisiana coalition, which has been questioning the tax breaks and calling for a moratorium on new ones, at least until the ones the state has are analyzed for effectiveness.