A Republican lawmaker from Hammond says the one cent sales tax increase proposal is facing significant debate in the special session. Jeff Palermo reports…:
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The Louisiana Supreme Court delays the execution of the so-called River Parish serial killer. Emelie Gunn reports Daniel Blank was scheduled to die next month for the murder of an elderly woman in 1997…
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Lawmakers are considering raising the tax on alcohol for the first time since 1948 to help solve the state’s budget crisis. Halen Doughty has more…
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Republican Representative Chris Broadwater of Hammond, who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, says lawmakers are taking a hard look at the Edwards Administration’s proposed one cent sales tax increase. He says the reason it’s such a pivotal issue is because they are trying to close a massive $950ish million dollar gap in the current fiscal year budget…:
Broadwater says there is concern about whether or not the one penny sales tax hike would be utilized as a short term approach, or if it would stay long term….:
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Broadwater says it remains to be seen if lawmakers will decide to make this part of the solution to the budget crisis. He says they are also discussing other tax measures such as on cigarettes and alcohol, but the one penny sales tax hike does continue to be a significant part of the discussion….:
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A north Louisiana lawmaker doesn’t like hearing the threat that there will be no LSU football next season because of budget issues facing higher education. Republican State Representative Steve Pylant of Winnsboro says Governor John Bel Edwards’ statement about the possibility there will be no LSU football next year is an empty threat.
Pylant’s comments came during a full day’s worth of testimony about funding for higher education. Many lawmakers expressed frustration about threats that college campuses could close this spring, unless they receive more money. But Pylant is against higher taxes to solve the problem and compares the situation to feeding hogs…
But Democrat State Representative Pat Smith of Baton Rouge says legislators have to do whatever they can to keep universities open.
Smith says she’s in favor of approving tax measures to make sure schools remain open for students.
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The Louisiana Supreme Court delays the scheduled March 14th execution of the so-called River Parishes serial killer Daniel Blank. He was sentenced to death for the brutal beating death of a 71-year-old Ascension Parish woman in 1997. Blank’s attorney, Gary Clements, says an execution date should have never been set, because his client had yet to exhaust all of his appeals…
Blanks execution could not have been carried out next month anyways, because the state Department of Corrections doesn’t have the necessary drugs to follow through with Blank’s execution. Clements also says Blanks is innocent. He says his client’s admission that he killed six people came towards the end of a 12-hour interrogation…
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Clements says the Louisiana Supreme Court needs time to look at Blank’s case.
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State Representative Kenny Cox of Natchitoches is proposing a higher tax on alcohol as a means for closing the state’s huge budget deficit. The proposed bill would raise Louisiana’s alcohol tax to the Southern regional averages. Cox says raising taxes is not his first option…
Under this bill, taxes would increase $3 per gallon for hard liquor and 34-cents per gallon for wine. The tax would go into effect April 1, although it is unclear how much revenue it would generate. Unlike other taxes proposed during this special session, this increase would be permanent.
Alcohol taxes in Louisiana have not been raised since 1948. John Williams with the Beer Industry League of Louisiana says the tax increase in 1948 devastated the beer brewing industry in Louisiana. He says Louisiana still has one of the highest alcohol taxes in the country.
Craft beer breweries are a growing industry in Louisiana. Louisiana currently has 16 operating breweries, and another 5 or 6 are expected to open by the end of the summer. If the alcohol tax is raised, brewery operators fear that beer drinkers will switch to more affordable options as opposed to the expensive beers brewed in Louisiana. State Representative Mike Huval of Breaux Bridge says this tax could hurt people that are trying to build their business in an already fragile economy.
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