Doing Tax Policy at the Ballot Is Not for the Faint of Heart
Some tax ballot initiatives will be straightforward, some will be complex, and—let’s be honest—some will be a drafting nightmare.
5 min readHow does Louisiana’s tax code compare? Louisiana has a graduated state individual income tax, with rates ranging from 1.85 percent to 4.25 percent. Louisiana has a graduated corporate income tax, with rates ranging from 3.5 percent to 7.5 percent. Louisiana also has a 4.45 percent state sales tax rate and an average combined state and local sales tax rate of 9.56 percent. Louisiana has a 0.51 percent effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing value.
Louisiana does not have an estate tax or inheritance tax. Louisiana has a 20.93 cents per gallon gas tax rate and a $1.08 cigarette excise tax rate. The State of Louisiana collects $4,856 in state and local tax collections per capita. Louisiana has $6,637 in state and local debt per capita and has a 74 percent funded ratio of public pension plans. Overall, Louisiana’s tax system ranks 40th on our 2024 State Business Tax Climate Index.
Each state’s tax code is a multifaceted system with many moving parts, and Louisiana is no exception. The first step towards understanding Louisiana’s tax code is knowing the basics. How does Louisiana collect tax revenue? Click the tabs below to learn more! You can also explore our state tax maps, which are compiled from our annual publication, Facts & Figures 2024: How Does Your State Compare?
Some tax ballot initiatives will be straightforward, some will be complex, and—let’s be honest—some will be a drafting nightmare.
5 min readProperty taxes are the primary tool for financing local government and generating state-level revenue in some states as well.
5 min readThe mix of tax sources states choose can have important implications for both revenue stability and economic growth, and the many variations across states are indicative of the different ways states weigh competing policy goals.
29 min readThe FDA’s proposal to ban flavored cigars would carry significant revenue implications for many state governments.
7 min readWhile many factors influence business location and investment decisions, sales taxes are something within policymakers’ control that can have immediate impacts.
12 min readIf the policy goal of taxing cigarettes is to encourage cessation, vapor taxation must be considered a part of that policy design.
4 min readAlthough the majority of state tax changes take effect at the start of the calendar year, some are implemented at the beginning of the fiscal year. Fourteen states have notable tax changes taking effect on July 1.
7 min readThe Kansas experience is so infamous that “what about Kansas?” is almost guaranteed to be a question—sometimes as a retort, but often a genuine expression of concern—any time any state explores tax relief. But what about the other two dozen states that have cut their income taxes since then?
6 min readWhich states have the highest property taxes in 2022? See how your state compares in property taxes across the United States
3 min readThe sales tax is too important a part of states’ revenue toolkits to be permitted further erosion, making sales tax modernization a vital project of the 2020s.
17 min read