By james art State lawmakers will begin their third special session of the year starting Nov. 6, Gov. Jeff Landry officially informed lawmakers Sunday.
This one will focus mostly on overhauling the state’s tax structure and will be completed no later than November 25.
Landry’s call includes 23 items.
He and Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson have been holding private sessions with lawmakers to sell them on the plan, and Nelson has made several public presentations.
Landry wants to urge lawmakers in next month’s special session to cut the top individual and corporate tax rates while establishing a flat tax rate, raising the standard deduction for individuals and eliminating the corporate franchise tax.
Landry will offset the resulting revenue losses by ending dozens of sales tax exemptions, renewing the expiring 0.45-cent sales tax, expanding the sales tax to 40 activities that are not taxed today, and eliminating several programs to stimulate jobs, such as the film tax credit.
Taken together, Landry believes, the changes will make Louisiana more attractive to investors and residents and reverse the state’s population decline in recent years.
A Revenue Department analysis showed the plan would give lawmakers in future years about as much as they have this year.
The plan would preserve a regressive system where poor people pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than the rich.
Passage of the revenue-raising parts of the plan would require a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate.
The plan would also make various changes to the state constitution, which would require voter approval on March 29.
Landry’s special session call also includes items related to “offenses that are subject to special procedures for juveniles,” with special courts and the state Supreme Court’s regulatory authority, and funding for strengthened roof programs for policyholders of citizens of Louisiana, state insurer of last resort.