Sales tax phase-out bill edges forward in Louisiana House

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Lawmakers in the Louisiana House have started moving a proposal to phase out the hard-fought, seven-year tax deal enacted last year to stabilize the state's budget.

The House tax committee Monday advanced the measure by House Republican leader Lance Harris without objection. The legislation still remains a long-shot for passage.

Senators have stalled another proposal to rework the 0.45% state sales tax approved last year, saying it was too soon to start tweaking the tax. And Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards opposes any efforts to roll back the tax earlier than its mid-2025 expiration date.

Harris' proposal would phase out the tax by mid-2023, stripping $87 million from state coffers starting on July 1, 2020. That figure would grow to $392 million .

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House Bill 599: www.legis.la.gov