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The 2014 legislative session ended with a state budget balanced conveniently with contrived and borrowed revenue and the further depletion of trust fund resources. PAR reviews the poor fiscal practices and worthy accomplishments of the spring lawmaking period.
State Budget Opportunities As the state budget process nears completion, the Legislature should keep the good fixes and make a few more ( PDF Version Here) The Louisiana House of Representatives made key improvements to the state budget that should be sustained as the Senate takes its turn reviewing the annual spending bills. Additional steps would further […]
PAR evaluates revenue enhancements and calls for proper use of Coastal Fund. (PDF Version Here) The Jindal administration’s proposed state budget for the next fiscal year is commendable in several important respects but contains some techniques for short-term revenue enhancements that are not in the state’s best interest in the long term. For those – […]
In the past year, Louisiana’s hospital safety net has been reinvented but not discarded. After a sudden reduction in federal health care financing, Louisiana embarked on a new path by privatizing the operations of its state hospitals while continuing to provide medical education managed by its public universities.
(PDF Version here) The 2013 legislative session started with a whimper and ended with a sigh of relief. On Day One, the governor “parked” his tax reform plan, failed to inspire a legislative effort to repeal the income tax and offered no further guidance or motivation to lawmakers. The state budget proved to be a bigger […]
Dear Representatives, Thank you for your efforts to draft a “Deficit Reduction Plan” as a proposed House strategy for dealing with the state’s FY 2014 budget. As you know PAR has a strong interest in fiscal and tax issues and we appreciate your willingness to receive input on this important process.
Louisiana’s tax system can be improved. The right changes could upgrade the state tax code to encourage business development, lower rates, reduce exemptions and tax breaks, simplify filings, shift more responsibility to local governments and provide a more efficient collection and compliance mechanism.