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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Navigating Fair Housing Advertising Standards: A Guide for Real Estate Professionals

By Louisiana REALTORS® • April 24, 2026
Avoid costly fair housing violations with expert tips on compliant real estate advertising, from listing language to social media targeting strategies.

2026 Legislative Session Scoop - Week 7 Recap

By Louisiana REALTORS® • April 24, 2026
Week seven of the 2026 Regular Session was one of the most active weeks yet for legislation affecting the real estate industry. Louisiana REALTORS® remained heavily engaged as lawmakers advanced bills dealing with property disclosures, appraiser liability, rent regulation, insurance, blight, redevelopment and other issues that directly affect real estate professionals, property owners and consumers across the state. One of the most important bills this week was HB 1166 by Rep. Kim Carver , which would require disclosures for vacant residential property. The bill was reported from House Commerce with amendments on a 14-0 vote and then amended on the House floor, ordered engrossed, and passed to third reading. Louisiana REALTORS® testified on the bill in committee and worked closely with the author to better posture the legislation. Amendments advanced by our team were accepted by the author, helping improve the bill while preserving a practical disclosure framework that increases transparency without creating unnecessary confusion in the transaction process. Another closely watched issue this week was consumer-fee disclosure legislation. HB 617 by Rep. Mandie Landry moved this week, advancing from House Commerce and then the House floor, while HB 580 , another hidden-fee disclosure bill touching real estate transactions, remains pending. Louisiana REALTORS® is opposed to these measures in their current form to the extent they apply to real estate professionals because they are not well-tailored to the realities of real estate transactions, where many costs are negotiated, variable or controlled by third parties. Louisiana REALTORS® testified in opposition to the bills we oppose and is actively working with the author to better posture the legislation and remove real estate professionals from its scope altogether. On HB 472 by Rep. Alonzo Knox , the rent stabilization bill, the author is expected to try to bring the measure back before the committee next week with amendments. Even so, Louisiana REALTORS® remain opposed to the bill on principle. Price gouging is already illegal under existing law, and government-imposed rent regulation is not the right answer to housing affordability challenges. Louisiana REALTORS® testified in opposition to the bill and continues to oppose the measure because policies like this risk discouraging investment, reducing housing supply, and creating further market distortions rather than solving the underlying problem. HB 468 by Rep. Troy Hebert , which regulates the wholesale of residential real property, remains pending in the Senate Commerce Committee and continues to be an important bill for the industry. Likewise, HB 1027 by Rep. Troy Hebert , dealing with appraiser liability, had a strong week, passing the House 90-0 and moving to the Senate. Both measures are significant because they promote greater clarity, consumer protection and confidence in the real estate marketplace. Blight and redevelopment issues also remained active. HB 284 by Rep. John Wyble , which would allow certain local governments to expropriate blighted property through a declaration-of-taking process, remains subject to call and continues to raise serious concerns about private property rights. By contrast, HB 214 and HB 217 by Rep. Chance Henry , which create tax incentives for the rehabilitation of blighted property, represent a more constructive redevelopment approach by encouraging reinvestment rather than expanding government taking authority. Insurance legislation also remained a major focus this week, with multiple bills heard that could affect homeownership costs, market stability and post-storm recovery. Measures dealing with Louisiana Citizens assessments, pre-suit insurance claim review, the Fortified Homes Program and insurance market transparency all carry real implications for affordability and transaction viability. In Louisiana, insurance remains one of the most important issues affecting the real estate market, and Louisiana REALTORS® continues to closely track that legislation. Taken together, week seven showed that Louisiana REALTORS® remains actively engaged where it matters most: supporting practical transaction standards, protecting private property rights, testifying for and against legislation when necessary, pushing back on unworkable regulation and rent-control-style policies, and advancing policies that strengthen housing opportunity and market stability across Louisiana. Please view the weekly bill tracking report provided by our lobbying team over at Harris, DeVille and Associates.

Consumer Guide Update: Navigating Interest Rates Shifts

By Louisiana REALTORS® • April 23, 2026
NAR is pleased to share the latest consumer guide helping buyers navigate shifting interest rates. The one-page guide covers how lenders set rates, the impact of small shifts on monthly payments and strategies to get the lowest rate possible. As a reminder, all guides in this series are available for download—in both English and Spanish—on facts.realtor . Please allow up to two weeks 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: Navigating Interest Rate Shifts Financing a Renovation When You Buy Staging Your House for a Sale Spotting Deepfake Scams in Real Estate Are You Ready to Invest in Real Estate? 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 home buying 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 the next consumer guide, which looks at how solar installations may impact home sales transactions.
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