It has taken a decade for the People of Louisiana to convince its governing leadership that Louisiana really is last in most good lists, and first in most bad lists, when compared to the other states.

It’s not an aberration.

It is a fact, that Louisiana is economically uncompetitive in the South.  It has taken that decade to convince our governing leadership that the reason Louisiana is first in population loss in the South, and last in economic opportunity, is Louisiana’s super-high taxes, and Louisiana’s super-high auto insurance costs.

These economic burdens have driven our educated, entrepreneurial, productive people (and their businesses) out of Louisiana.  We know well that for the past two decades, the “Big Four Southern States” (Texas, Florida, Tennessee and South Carolina) have been the economic beneficiaries of Louisiana’s misguided taxes and crushing liability laws.

Fortunately in Louisiana today, there is a broad consensus that we know what is causing our economic disaster.

The election cycle of 2023 confirmed that consensus and focused on the simple legislative solution to set Louisiana’s economic potential free.  In the elections of 2023, the Louisiana voter elected new legislators, based upon their promise to immediately and substantially lower our State taxes and lower our insurance premiums.

This new leadership team was elected specifically on their promises to downsize Louisiana’s tax burdens, to reduce the cost of auto insurance, and to correspondently downsize the size of Louisiana’s government.  The promise, specifically, was to lower state taxes to levels that compete or beat the tax rates of the prospering neighbors.

Also, the newly elected leadership promised to reign in the level of fictional injuries and excessive recoveries that were being doled out in Louisiana’s overly costly and overly generous judicial system.  In Louisiana’s judicial/liability system our People lose; our businesses lose; and our injured citizens lose.  But the trial lawyers rake in unearned fees and unearned medial profits.

Our economic disaster is our prosperity problem. The world know that Louisiana has all the delightful and colorful intangibles that makes up our unmatched, premier quality-of-life.  Louisiana has its own supernatural culinary wonders, casinos, music and entertainment, French architecture, creole and country cultures, statewide Mardi Gras, festivals and other culture events.  We have our regular Super Bowls, Sugar Bowls and a late-night Fais do-do.  The world knows that Louisiana is the real deal, heaven on earth for fun, food and that great spice of life.

All Louisiana needs for its own twenty-first century economic revival, is for the new leadership team to immediately enact the tax reductions, and the tort reform legislation that IS NOW DEMANDED by the voters of Louisiana.

Ironically, most of the bills needed to trigger Louisiana’s economic revival were already introduced in the 2024 regular legislative session.  But, because of the usual corrosive “good ol’ boys” shenanigans, and protection of the “old way,” these historic reforms failed to pass.

Louisiana does not need a “Constitutional Convention.”  That will just be more of the same failure.

Instead, the Louisiana’s voters demand immediate adoption of the promised ten step “Gold Standard.”  Adoption of these ten bill Gold Standard” will roll back the stone blocking Louisiana’s economic resurrection.  Here is the “Gold Standard:”

1. Repeal personal income taxes (Riser; HB 844)
2. Protect the current phase out of the 0.45% sales tax, already enacted;
3. Reduce the State’s severance tax on oil/gas industry (Beaulieau;HB259).
4. Repeal excessive costs of oil/gas production clean up (Seabaugh; SB459).
5. Eliminate fictional medical cost recoveries in auto accidents (Melerine HB423).
6. Require direct evidence that proves the cause of injuries (Melerine HB24).
7. Require courts to protect injured parties from excessive attorney fees; amend Civil Code Article 1954 to(Leenerts Farms; 421 So.2d 216 (La. 1982).
8. Shift 0.25% of existing sales tax away from state and to local government.
9. Repeal property taxes on business inventory and goods and work-in-progress.
10. Create “Unified Sales Tax Collector” to reach out of State and internet sellers to mandate remittance of sales taxes owed to State and local entities.

The enactment of this ten step “Gold Standard” in Louisiana will immediately make Louisiana more than competitive with the Big Four southern states.  The Gold Standard matches the repeal of the personal income taxes.  The sales tax reduction will move Louisiana’s sales tax level to a competitive level.  And, most importantly, with our existing homestead exemption and existing level of property taxation, Louisiana’s lower property tax level becomes a positive recruitment factor over the Big Four.

It is especially competitive against the super-high property taxes in Texas and Florida.  Also, the tort reform measures (4, 5, 6 and 7) will lower Louisiana’s property and liability insurance rates, and make our insurance rates comparable.

When Louisiana puts its business and insurance house in order, and welcomes business back, no State can compete with our “Laissez les bon temps rouler.” Enact the ten step “Gold Standard” and Louisiana is back in the Super Bowl of life.

Paul L. Hurd, President
Louisiana Excellence, Inc., Contact paul@louisianaexcel.org
A non-profit dedicated to Louisiana Prosperity through a lower tax burdens.