I never understood why the flat personal income tax could not have been 3.5% and the entirety of the .45 cent temporary sales tax not allowed to expire. The numbers presented by Secretary Nelson indicated that would have been a wash and there was always opposition to extending the .45 cent sales tax. What is so magical about a 3% flat personal income tax. I don't know and I don't see why any politician, much less humanitarian, would not have wanted to reduce our high sales tax knowing it disproportionately affects lower income individuals. I fought the battle over taxing services and eliminating exemptions, exclusions, credits, etc. for too many years to not know these are tough sells that are also often regressive. The idea of taxing more services is just plain stupid, IMHO. The ultimate outcome will be interesting, including how whatever might pass resembles what was proposed.. Gov. Landry apparently missed the boat with a passenger list of more people believing in the ethical treatment of animals (even if they don't go as far as PETA) so Omar was a disaster for him even if his tax reform plan is not.
What’s with these people? What is the aversion to paying income tax? Heavens, I paid 5% flat tax in Massachusetts all my life. 3.5% sounds like a good place to start and won’t dent the high rollers. Why does the legislature want to pick the pockets of moms raising families instead of paying their fair share?
Landry’s tax “reform” will hurt, if not destroy, the income of many excellent small Louisiana service businesses. And, unlike income and present sales taxes, it won’t be easy to collect. It’s also a cobbled and barely edited pastiche of Heritage Foundation and Exxon lobbyist emails, so to the extent that any corporate taxation survives it will be picked apart by their tax departments and also not be easily, or at all enforceable.
I never understood why the flat personal income tax could not have been 3.5% and the entirety of the .45 cent temporary sales tax not allowed to expire. The numbers presented by Secretary Nelson indicated that would have been a wash and there was always opposition to extending the .45 cent sales tax. What is so magical about a 3% flat personal income tax. I don't know and I don't see why any politician, much less humanitarian, would not have wanted to reduce our high sales tax knowing it disproportionately affects lower income individuals. I fought the battle over taxing services and eliminating exemptions, exclusions, credits, etc. for too many years to not know these are tough sells that are also often regressive. The idea of taxing more services is just plain stupid, IMHO. The ultimate outcome will be interesting, including how whatever might pass resembles what was proposed.. Gov. Landry apparently missed the boat with a passenger list of more people believing in the ethical treatment of animals (even if they don't go as far as PETA) so Omar was a disaster for him even if his tax reform plan is not.
What you propose seems like a pretty easy and straightforward alternative.
Thanks, Bob. In my experience the legislature never likes simple and straightforward.
What’s with these people? What is the aversion to paying income tax? Heavens, I paid 5% flat tax in Massachusetts all my life. 3.5% sounds like a good place to start and won’t dent the high rollers. Why does the legislature want to pick the pockets of moms raising families instead of paying their fair share?
Landry’s tax “reform” will hurt, if not destroy, the income of many excellent small Louisiana service businesses. And, unlike income and present sales taxes, it won’t be easy to collect. It’s also a cobbled and barely edited pastiche of Heritage Foundation and Exxon lobbyist emails, so to the extent that any corporate taxation survives it will be picked apart by their tax departments and also not be easily, or at all enforceable.
I cannot tell you how difficult it was to set up those accounts online. And I think I'm pretty tech-savvy.
More circuses, no bread!