Parish President Pat Brister moved to rescind the ¾ cent Economic Development District Sales Tax that was enacted on January 1st of this year.
“I have spent a great deal of time listening to taxpayers and business leaders across St. Tammany Parish, and it is clear that they are not in favor of this Economic Development Tax,” said Brister. “I have given notice to Sheriff Randy Smith to halt any collections on this tax, and will be asking that an ordinance be passed in the coming weeks to officially remove this new tax from being collected. While the revenue generated was helpful for economic development in the Parish, my primary job is to be responsible to the needs of residents of St. Tammany and it is clear that they do not want the tax.”
The 2016 Economic Development District Taxes were adopted by the Parish Council at the November council meeting, and took effect on January 1, 2017. There are six new Economic Development Districts along the I-12 corridor, which generated revenue to pay for infrastructure improvements, aesthetic changes and road construction inside these districts.
CW Editor’s Note: The dissolution of the St. Tammany Economic Development Foundation will result in the St. Tammany Parish Economic Development District managing its own financial affairs (formerly tasked to STEDF). The prospect of a large new revenue stream might be a good motivation to kill the sales tax.
