69°
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7 Day Forecast
Follow our weather team on social media

Cigarette, alcohol taxes among bills passed by House Ways & Means Committee

8 years 2 months 1 day ago Tuesday, February 23 2016 Feb 23, 2016 February 23, 2016 11:42 AM February 23, 2016 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards' tax proposals have started moving in the Louisiana House, though it remains unclear which ones can win enough support from House Republicans and which ones will hit roadblocks.

The House Ways and Means Committee advanced more than 30 tax measures Tuesday - including many pushed by the Democratic governor - to the full House for consideration.

The committee didn't put its stamp of approval on each, however. Instead, lawmakers backed some measures and indicated their disapproval of others even as they sent the bills to the House floor.

Edwards is proposing a state sales tax hike, increased taxes on businesses and boosted taxes on cigarettes and alcohol to help balance Louisiana's budget.

The full House is expected to start voting on tax bills Thursday.

It's tax day in House Ways&Means. Already 20mins past start time, no meeting yet #lalege https://t.co/6NV8Lg3X33 pic.twitter.com/2S6d4yPV2e

— Mark Armstrong (@TV_MarkA) February 23, 2016

A 20-cent cigarette tax was one of the first items to pass, set to generate an estimated $46 million a year for the state.

Another so-called "sin tax" on alcohol was soon to follow, passing successfully.

Also, Louisiana residents could see the death of the "honor system" when it comes to reporting taxes on internet purchases.

Income tax bills presented by Walt Leger did not pass.

All of the activity from the committee can be viewed by clicking here. The bills will move next to the full Louisiana House for approval.

More News

Desktop News

Click to open Continuous News in a sidebar that updates in real-time.
Radar
7 Days