re: Sen Bodi White introduces bill to increase St George sales taxes up to 2% more

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No more than a 9% sales tax as we pay now

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Please quote the NOLA article where it says no more than 9%.

It's not in the version I'm reading.

Read the actual bill, charlie.

Of course this afternoon you proved you don't even know how to determine who a poster is replying to so why am I not surprised you're making quotes up that are not in a newspaper article?

I just read the bill and it seems to be really pushing the limits of the state constitution. I guess his consultant from Alabama is paying off.

In the beginning, the bill seems to cap the parish/municipal taxes at 2%. The bill is not written well, so there is ambiguity in wither it is a replacement tax early on in the bill, but there is a section that seems to make a distinction between the limits of parish and municipal taxes. It authorizes the new district to levy a municipal tax as well as continue levying and collecting the parish tax that it is supposed to replace. Either way, I've never seen a tax renewed or replaced without a vote.

Secondly, they seem to be under the impression that a vote is not needed because the vote for incorporation somehow counts and if that doesn't work they have a trump card - They're going to declare a state of emergency in the St. George district which would authorize the legislature to impose the tax without a vote. (holy frick)

Also, 7 council members will be appointed. 6 appointed by Bodi White and the trusty state legislature. 2 of them must, by law, be selected from the 3 St. George organizers. (not kidding.)

Tell Asgard to post that paragraph like you I'm on my I pad

Has anybody read the article where Steve Meyers is trying to ruin Southdowns? I'm sure this will get the St. George folks worked up.

Read the thing again.

I now think it's a replacement tax. Looks like they want it to be a hybrid or a phase out.

The bill would also gives St. George the authority to impose its own temporary sales taxes without an election. However, if the parish chooses to continue collecting its sales taxes, the total burden of the parish and St. George taxes couldn't be more than the 2 percent shoppers in the area currently pay.

The temporary tax structures would end once the city is up and running and leaders ask voters for their own local sales tax, or a year after any lawsuits contesting the incorporation end, whichever comes first.

For Russian from my I phone

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Does anyone think the merchants of the retail district along Bluebonnet will like having to charge their customers up to 11% in total sales taxes while their BR competition only has to charge shoppers 9%?

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Amazon.com fully supports this effort.

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So if EBR chooses to continue keeping its 2% sales tax (which it would, of course) SG would get ZERO sales taxes for up to 4 years? If you believe that I have some ocean front property in Nebraska I will sell you....cheap!

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Here is text from the bill itself. The bold print and underline is mine. Does this not state that the parish's authority to continue its 2% tax ends as soon as a new 2% tax is imposed by the Transition District or the new municipality? It also appears to me to state that the parish's authority to continue its 2% tax must end within 12 months of SG incorporation, even if SG does not pass its own 2% tax.

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Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, upon incorporation of St. George, the parish may continue to levy and collect the parish tax within the corporate limits of the municipality, pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement between the parish and municipality, for the purposes of providing continuing, through calendar year 2018, pro-rata funding of parish expenses for constitutional public offices and officials required by law and providing essential public services to, or funding essential public services for, the citizens within St. George until the St. George Transition District levies and collects a two percent sales and use tax, the municipality levies and collects a two percent sales and use tax, the end of the quarter following the election to impose the municipal tax if the proposition is not approved by the electorate, or twelve months after the incorporation becomes final, whichever occurs first.

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The law gives SG the power over sales taxes. It does not leave the decision up to the parish.

Later in the bill, there is this language:

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D.(1) In order to provide funds for the purpose of assisting the
18 municipality to fund the delivery of essential public services to its citizens,
19 reduce or eliminate its cash flow deficit or remedy cash flow shortfalls, pay
20 obligations in connection therewith, or any combination of these, and to
21 provide, though calendar year 2018, continuing pro-rata funding of parish
22 expense for constitutional public offices and officials required by law, the
23 district is hereby authorized to levy and collect a sales and use tax not to exceed
24 two percent. However, the district shall not levy or collect a tax if the rate
25 thereof, when combined with the rate of the municipal sales and use taxes
26 collected within the municipality, exceeds two percent.

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With that language, the combined tax rate for the municipality cannot be increased by the action of the Transition District. And it appears that the Transition District's tax must end whenever the new municipality's tax begins.


Then there is this language that calls for the Transition District and its taxes to cease existence after either the city imposes taxes of 2%, or within a year of the incorporation becoming final (again whether or not new municipal taxes are imposed), whichever comes first.

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(5) The provisions of this Section shall be null, void, and without effect,
18 the district shall cease existence, and any sales and use taxes levied by the
19 district shall expire at such time as the municipality levies and collects a two
20 percent sales and use tax or twelve months after the judgments in any suits
21 contesting the incorporation of the municipality become final, whichever occurs
22 first.

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So, as I read it, the bill authorizes a transition government that can take over, but not expand, the taxing authority of the parish. It prevents duplicate taxation between the parish, the transition government and the new municipal government. And it also provides for the removal of the parish's taxing authority, as well as the shutdown of the transition government and its taxing authority once the incorporation is accomplished and SG citizens start making their own tax decisions.

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11% in total sales taxes

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Think about it. Do you actually believe this is what the bill will do? You're turning into a hack in regards to SG.

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Who looks like an over zealous fanatic?

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You, for continually trying to figure out where Russian lives.