At the Pelican Institute we’ve spoken often about the need – and urgent opportunity – to write Louisiana’s comeback story. Today a new chapter of that story was authored by Governor Landry and the Louisiana Legislature. Without a doubt, the bills passed earlier today represent the boldest vision for tax reform ever seriously considered and adopted by the Legislature.

Here are the highlights:

· Personal income tax rates will be a flat 3% with a standard personal tax deduction of $12,500 (or $25,000 for a couple). This represents the second lowest personal income tax rate in the nation among states that levy one. Every Louisiana taxpayer will receive an income tax cut.

· Corporate income tax rates will be a flat 5.5% with a standard deduction of $20,000. A majority of the myriad tax credits will be phased out; however, the film tax credit, historic restoration tax credit, and an R&D tax credit were retained (though capped at a lower amount).

· The corporate franchise tax, a tax on growth that punishes investment in our state, will be repealed. This is a major win for economic growth.

· A Government Growth Limit was passed to constrain the growth of recurring state spending from the state’s general fund. Spending restraint is critical to the success of tax reform and to ensure that the size of state government doesn’t exceed what Louisianans can afford.

· The state sales tax was increased by .55 and the .45 was renewed for a total state sales tax of 5% that now applies to some digital products and digital services that weren’t previously taxed.

All of these new rates will take effect January 1, 2025.

A constitutional amendment that significantly streamlines Article VII of our state constitution, which deals with tax and finance issues, received preliminary approval. In March of 2025, voters will be asked to consider the following changes:

· Make the locally-levied inventory tax optional. It is currently mandated by the state constitution. The state will provide a fund that could be used to backfill some of the revenue local governments would lose by repealing their taxes. A companion bill also puts a sunset on the inventory tax credit for corporate taxpayers in 2026.

· Free up a variety of currently-restricted dedicated funds and move a variety of provisions from the constitution to statute. The biggest of these is nearly $2 billion in locked up educational funds. These dollars will be used to pay off teacher pension debt in order to make permanent a teacher pay raise.

· The homestead exemption is preserved in the state constitution with this measure, though some of the details and other provisions concerning property tax were moved into the Louisiana statutes and protected by requiring a 3/4 vote to change them.

Together, this package represents a tax cut for every taxpayer, simplifies what is currently among the most complex tax codes in the country, constrains growth of recurring spending, and repeals a punishing franchise tax.

The work, however, is not done. The Legislature will have many opportunities in the coming sessions to further reduce tax rates as we see the benefits of economic growth and work to keep our state competitive. Further, Governor Landry’s recently-announced Fiscal Responsibility Program and Czar will be a great opportunity to further streamline spending and find opportunities to reduce the size of government.