The commission's chairman, Rep. Joel Robideaux, R-Lafayette, tells the AP he doesn't anticipate the panel laying out a list of tax breaks it thinks should be eliminated or adjusted.
The Associated Press is reporting that the Revenue Study Commission, that ambitious gaggle of state lawmakers tasked with studying the efficacy of billions of dollars in tax breaks, exemptions and credits Louisiana has extended to businesses for decades, may not be of much benefit in terms of making recommendations that would lead to more revenue for state government. The commission's chairman, Rep. Joel Robideaux, R-Lafayette, tells the AP he doesn't anticipate the panel laying out a list of tax breaks it thinks should be eliminated or adjusted.
Louisiana offers nearly $7 billion in tax relief to business and industry. But the commission has little serviceable information with which to work:
For some tax breaks, there's no data to review because no agency's tracking their use or their benefits. For others, lawmakers hear tales of doom and gloom if they question whether to discontinue a tax exemption or credit.
And the legislators have no model for comparing the worth of tax breaks against each other.
Read more here.