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Louisiana Politics: Businesses push for centralized tax collections

The Louisiana chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business is lining up behind a constitutional amendment that would — over time and without definitive directives — create a centralized sales tax collection system in the Bayou State. While some details of the plan remain murky, the amendment’s purpose is clear. Rather than retailers and other businesses paying local sales taxes in each individual parish, there would be a one-stop shop on the state level.
While the temporary increase in the sales tax could very much be on the agenda in the upcoming regular session, the push by small business for the consolidation of collections in Baton Rouge could very well become the defining policy issue heading into the fall election cycle.
NFIB state director Dawn Starns said the goal is to get the amendment, which is expected to be authored by Rep. Tanner Magee, on the October ballot.
The single collector system has long been opposed by local governments, as evidenced in earlier reporting, chiefly because control would shift from their backyards to Baton Rouge.

Q&A with Andrew Bautsch
LaPolitics: Last week, we saw the state party file a request for documents related to Gov. John Bel Edwards’ business summit. Why did the LaGOP take this action and what do you believe the documents will show?
Louisiana Republican Party Executive Director Andrew Bautsch: We believe that the governor basically paid for a campaign pep rally with taxpayer dollars, and the documents we’ve requested should shed light on this matter.
LaPolitics: What are the biggest issues that the party is tracking heading into the regular session?
Bautsch: That’s a tough question because there are quite a few issues! The really important things that everyone should be focusing on are the state’s economy, business climate, and whether we are better off than we were when Gov. Edwards took office (over three years ago). The plain fact is that our state government is in desperate need of reform and this governor is not reform-minded in the least.
LaPolitics: What legislative races will the party be closely following this fall?
Bautsch: We will be following all the races, but there are a number of races that we will contest with a plan to flip the seats to Republican.
LaPolitics: I know you can’t reveal too much, but can you give us a preview of some new things we will see from the party closer to election season?
Bautsch: Well, I think everyone will be surprised by the breadth and extent of what the LAGOP is doing. We are rebuilding our grassroots infrastructure throughout the state by working with our activists, parish executive committees and elected officials. We are helping to recruit new candidates while working in conjunction with other Republican and conservative organizations to train and support our candidates, elected officials and campaigns to get out the vote.
LaPolitics: How will you be spending your Mardi Gras?
Bautsch: I’ll be watching parades with friends and family until Sunday, when I ride in Bacchus.

'Cross to Bear' doc in production
Strategic Partners & Media has entered into the interview phase of what could be a feature-length documentary on John Maginnis’ "Cross to Bear," which recounts the unforgettable 1991 governor’s race between Edwin Edwards and former klansman David Duke.
SPM partner John Loe started organizing his shooting schedule in January.
Loe and SPM, a Maryland-based media firm, also optioned Maginnis’ most iconic work, "The Last Hayride," which chronicles Edwards’ 1983 campaign. Both books were published by Darkhorse Press, a sister company to Louisiana Political Review, which publishes LaPolitics.com.
In a November 2017 interview, Jackie Drinkwater Maginnis, the window of LaPolitics’ founder, said the firm had an option of two years on both books.
“Reading between the lines, I think they perceived both books as still being relevant today,” Mrs. Maginnis said of the media firm. “But I sensed a keen interest in "Cross To Bear" because of the political situation right now.”

They said it
“There’s nothing dirty about the word surplus.”
—State Sen. Gerald Long, on the state’s financial
situation, in The Associated Press
For more Louisiana political news, visit www.LaPolitics.com or follow Alford and Rabalais on Twitter via @LaPoliticsNow.

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