2016 was a year for the record books when it comes to politics in Louisiana. Emelie Gunn has more….
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Governor John Bel Edwards says state leaders are doing what they can to prepare for a decision on the Alton Sterling case. Michelle Southern has more…
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Like many Louisiana residents, Senator-elect John Kennedy isn’t happy that Amazon will begin collecting Louisiana sales taxes. Halen Doughty has more…
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2016 was quite a hectic year for Louisiana politics. Jeremy Alford of LaPolitics.com says the top political story of the year was Republican Taylor Barras being elected as speaker of the House rather than Governor John Bel Edwards’ pick of Democratic Representative Walt Leger. He says this is the first time in modern history that the governor did not hand select the speaker.
Alford says this changed the relationship between the House and the Senate, which greatly affected the state’s three legislative sessions. He says lawmakers worked more continuous days in sessions during 2016 than any other legislative session since 1812.
Cut 5 (09) “important sessions”
Alford says the political year ended with Republican State Treasurer John Kennedy as a U.S. Senator. He says we also rounded out 2016 with Louisiana politicians taking on some big positions.
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Louisianans have a lot to look forward to in 2017, including more federal funding for flood recovery and hopefully a resolution to the state’s massive budget shortfall. Also coming next year is a decision in the Alton Sterling case from the Department of Justice. Governor John Bel Edwards says at this point, he still doesn’t have any information about when a decision is coming or what it will be.
CUT 7 (09) “that announcement”
Edwards says the state is taking steps to ensure that Louisiana is ready for whatever that decision might be. He says they are also urging police departments to re-evaluate how they train officers, pushing more de-escalation tactics and ways to hold police officers more accountable.
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But Edwards says the public also has a responsibility to make sure they’re interacting with the police in a proper fashion as well. He says they are also looking into ways to educate the public on how they can do their part in keeping situations from getting out of hand.
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Amazon’s new policy of collecting sales tax in Louisiana has upset a lot of Louisiana residents, including Senator-elect John Kennedy. He says many state lawmakers are dancing at the Capitol because they’ll have more money to spend, at the expense of Louisiana taxpayers.
Cut 10 (07) “taxpayers pockets”
It’s estimated once the policy goes into effect on January 1, it will bring in an additional $30 million a year for Louisiana. Kennedy says when you start talking about the internet and taxes, you’re taking the first step down a very slippery slope.
Louisiana law already requires taxpayers to self-report their online purchases and pay the taxes, but most online shoppers do not. Kennedy says it’s not their fault the taxes aren’t being collected, it’s the state Department of Revenue’s fault for not enforcing the law.
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Now that we’re through the holidays, many people are scrambling to get the most tax savings they can before the end of the year. Metairie CPA Gina Rachel says charitable donations are one way to save on your taxes. She says donations will still count even if you donate on your credit card and don’t pay it until January. She says monetary donations aren’t the only way to give.
Cut 13 (08) “donations as well”
Rachel says taxpayers could have a tax savings of anywhere from 15 to 30-percent. She says at this time of year people also try to accelerate any deductions that might expire next year.
Rachel says higher education deductions will expire next year as well. She says even if you’re too busy to do anything before the end of the year, you still have options to save on their taxes.
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The Saints return to the practice field today to get ready for the regular season finale on Sunday at Atlanta. Running back Mark Ingram enters the contest 60 yards shy of 1,000 for the season. Ingram says eclipsing 1,000 yards for the season would mean a lot…
A win on Sunday and the Saints will finish with an 8-and-8 record, but they’ll miss the playoffs for a third consecutive year. Head Coach Sean Payton says he would rather finish the season with a win than a loss….
Sunday’s game means a lot for Atlanta. A Falcons win and they secure a first round bye in the NFC playoffs. Ingram says it’s an important game for the Saints too…