-->

Tuesday, May 09, 2017

The pros and cons of getting nothing done

Okay let's do the con first.  The last best chances for meaningful fiscal reform are dying in the legislature right now.
A Louisiana House committee killed a package of legislation Tuesday (May 9) to shift more of the state's income tax burden from individuals to businesses. The proposal, pushed by Gov. John Bel Edwards, also would have saved 90 percent of income tax filers money, according to supporters.

A similar reworking of Louisiana's income tax structure has been recommended several times by economists and other tax analysts who have studied the state's tax system. In concept, the failed legislative package resembled some of the things recommended by the state task force that studied the tax system earlier this year and in 2016, although it is not the same as what was proposed.    
This would have represented a tax cut for 90 percent of Louisiana residents. It would also have raised about 21 million dollars and, well, you know how much the State House of Representatives loves good ideas like that.

On the other hand, sometimes doing nothing is the right thing to do
Setting the state apart from many of its Southern peers, the Louisiana state House rejected a proposed law that would have banned Sanctuary Cities and allowed the state Attorney General's office to withhold state funds to local departments found to be in violation.
So there's a setback for Future Governor Landry. The only thing that saved us here was the 2/3 majority vote threshold for bills that would raise fees in any way. Also, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Valerie Hodges is quite the peach.


No comments: