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Vote "YES" for More Jobs, Lower Tax Rates in Louisiana

Louisiana REALTORS • October 21, 2021

Louisiana REALTORS® officially endorses Constitutional Amendment #1 and #2 on November 13th ballot.

Attendees at a recent Louisiana REALTORS® Town Hall meeting overwhelmingly indicated support for Constitutional Amendment #1 and #2 after a presentation by Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives Clay Schexnayder, Chair of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Stuart Bishop, and Representative Beau Beaullieu. View the recording of that presentation here. 


Louisiana REALTORS® Board of Directors at the October 6 meeting in Lafayette, LA voted for the association to officially endorse the two proposed constitutional amendments. These two amendments are part of major tax reforms that policy groups and task forces have been discussing for years and now is the time to make these discussions a reality.


In supporting these measures, Louisiana REALTORS® joins countless business groups that have publicly expressed support for the fiscal reform amendments.

  • Constitutional Amendment #1 : Streamline Local Sales Tax Collection

    Louisiana ranks 49th out of 50 states in terms of how we collect sales taxes. That’s because where almost every other state has just one, we have 54 local tax collectors for our 64 parishes, and among them are more than 100 different local tax rates. 


    In-state businesses required to charge local sales tax have to remit to these collectors separately, while out-of-state retailers like Wayfair have one simple portal. 


    The current system is archaic and cumbersome and puts our home-grown businesses at a disadvantage.

  • Constitutional Amendment #2: Simplify Our Tax Code

    Tax Simplification would lower tax rates in exchange for removing the FIT from the State Constitution, and if passed by voters, this amendment triggers a trio of companion bills into effect that together create a simpler system with lower rates, helping Louisiana

    to recruit more jobs here. Specifically, the amendment and accompanying bills:


    • Cap personal income tax at 4.75% - that would be the lowest in the South and fourth lowest in the country (amendment)
    • Remove current individual income tax brackets from the State Constitution, allowing the Legislature to lower rates (amendment)
    • Remove the FIT requirement from Louisiana’s Constitution (amendment)
    • Lower rates in the 3 brackets for personal income tax, lowering the highest from 6% to 4.25% (HB278)
    • Collapses corporate tax brackets from 5 to 3, capping the highest at 7.5% (HB 292)
    • Eliminate the Corporate Franchise Tax on the first $300,000 of taxable capital, lowers the tax from $3 to $2.75 per thousand on capital greater than $300,000 (SB 161)

    In an analysis of the plan, the Washington DC-based Tax Foundation predicted that these tax reform measures will finally move Louisiana out of the bottom ten states in business tax climate rankings.

View Sample Ballot Language

The proposed amendments do not impose or raise new or existing taxes but seek to put us in line with how almost all other states collect sales taxes and stabilize our state income tax rates and budget. 


Both amendments will help all businesses and individuals as it relates to sales tax collections and personal & corporate income tax rates being lowered.  Louisiana REALTORS encourages you to learn more facts about these amendments by visiting untangleourtaxes.com or by viewing the Public Affairs Research Council 2021 Guide to Constitutional Amendments.
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Consumer Guide Update: Preparing for Homeownership

By Louisiana REALTORS® • February 19, 2025
As previewed last week, NAR is pleased to share the latest consumer guide focused on preparing for homeownership. This guide covers what prospective buyers should consider as they kick off the home purchase process, including the importance of credit scores, mortgage pre-approval, down payments, budgeting, and educational resources. As a reminder, all guides in this series are available for download—in both English and Spanish—on facts.realtor . Please allow a few days for the Spanish version of the latest resource to be translated and uploaded. For ease of reference, below is a list of the most recent guides: NEW: Preparing for Homeownership Escrow and Earnest Money Pricing Your Home Preparing to Sell Your Home Fire Damage and Policy Coverage Thank you for your continued engagement with the “Consumer Guide” series and for sharing the resources with potential clients to ensure they have the information they need to be successful in their homebuying or selling journey. Remember that these guides are for informational purposes only and are not meant to enact or change any existing NAR policy. Be on the lookout for next week’s guide on Wednesday, which will cover property taxes.

Consumer Guide Update: Escrow and Earnest Money

By Louisiana REALTORS® • February 14, 2025
As previewed last week, NAR is pleased to share the latest consumer guide focused on escrow. This guide covers what homebuyers should know about earnest money deposits, including the general terms and use cases in real estate transactions. As a reminder, all guides in this series are available for download—in both English and Spanish—on facts.realtor . Please allow a few days for the Spanish version of the latest resource to be translated and uploaded. For ease of reference, below is a list of the most recent guides: NEW: Escrow and Earnest Money Pricing Your Home Preparing to Sell Your Home Fire Damage and Policy Coverage Flood Insurance Thank you for your continued engagement with the “Consumer Guide” series and for sharing the resources with prospective clients to ensure they have the information they need to find success in their homebuying or selling journey. Remember that these guides are for informational purposes only and are not meant to enact or change any existing NAR policy. Be on the lookout for next week’s guide on Wednesday, which will cover preparing prospective buyers for homeownership.

2026 LR Officer Elections, RVPs & NAR Director Applications

By Louisiana REALTORS® • February 12, 2025
The Louisiana REALTORS® Board of Directors will conduct several elections this Spring. Interested candidates that meet the qualification who are looking to serve at either the state association level or the national association level are encouraged to view the criteria and submit an application. An application that is not submitted on the appropriate form or not submitted pursuant to the instructions shall not be considered as submitted timely.
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