Louisiana voters are so far not impressed with Edwards’s proposals.

They’re strongly opposed to the proposed sales and income tax increases. However, they are open to some other revenue increasing streams.

Our friends at the Louisiana chapter of Americans for Prosperity put the poll together.

Here’s what The Advocate says:

According to the findings of the Harper poll, about 46 respondents said that the taxes they pay right now are too high, while 47 percent said that their taxes are “about right” and 5 percent said that their taxes were too low.

The survey included 400 registered voters in Louisiana and was conducted by live operator interviews via landline and cell phones Feb. 5-8. The margin of error is 4.9 percent.

The poll prompted respondents with information about the budget deficit then asked about specific tax proposals.

On the sales tax hike, the question, while factual, wasn’t posed as a general up or down on increasing the sales tax. It focused on several negatives, noting that the increase would be 25 percent over the current rate and would make Louisiana’s sales tax the highest in the country. Prompted in that way, 78 percent of respondents said that they oppose the increase, while 14 percent said they support it.

Here’s some more:

About 58 percent of respondents said that they support increases in the tobacco and alcohol taxes, while 36 percent said that they oppose increasing those taxes.

Edwards has called for a 22-cent increase in the state’s cigarette tax and has opened up the special session that begins Sunday to also include changes in the alcohol tax.

Other findings in the Harper poll indicate that a majority of the respondents were generally opposed to tax hikes:

• 83 percent of respondents oppose an income tax increase on middle-class working families.

• Respondents were split on whether short-term rentals like AirBnB should be taxed like hotels. 37 percent say they should be, while 47 percent say they should not.

• 80 percent of respondents oppose any increase in taxes on cellphones or land lines.

• 60 percent said they oppose Internet sales tax collections.

• 59 percent said they oppose corporate income tax increases and the “elimination of other business tax credits.”

Perhaps this is why John Bel Edwards is following the Edwin Edwards playbook and maximizing the pain. Just as Edwin Edwards would threaten to turn off the dialysis machines if he didn’t get his tax hikes, Edwards is threatening to withhold TOPS. He knows that blackmail is the only way to get his tax increases.

It’s up to conservatives to stand firm and demand their legislators reject them.