Anyone felt the pain of STELLY yet...

[Dwayne From Minden]

Just wondering...

Based on my tax increase of the state level, I would have had to spend somewhere around $35,000 this year on food and utilities to get the neutral effect...

Our taxes increased by $1400 (40%) on the state level which was basically on an increase of only $9,000 in adjusted gross income (which should have been somewhere around $360 assuming the 4% bracket)...

Losing your itemized deductions is a killer - even though you were only getting the benefit of 57.5% of them on the 2002 return...

I was EXPECTING an increase of about $700 or so due to the income SHIFTING nature of this tax but it looks like it will actually DOUBLE that...

Be PREPARED...

[dawg80]

I voted NO when the Smelly plan, er Stelly plan, came up for a vote. Why is it that only we conservatives seem to understand the truth about taxes? This is another case if it only adversely affected the morons (spelled: l-i-b-e-r-a-l-s) I wouldn't care. Alas, it doesn't.

[weunice]

I voted no on the Stelly plan as well yet somehow, since my wife doesn't work, we came out in the "poor" bracket. LIke I said in another thread, no, I will not be sending the excess I would have been taxed to the state to support a lousy public school system, or bad roads or whatnot. I will actually do something that will benefit this great country we live in. Spend it and hope that others do the same so that businesses will profit, folks will get hired and the tax base will GROW.

[zharkins]

I was out $800 more with no increase in income. Just more Robin Hood taxes. You know...it is funny how the system protects the minority from the majority unless it is the majority voting to tax certain groups more than others.

[Bossdawg]

Yeah and our state still runs a deficit, 16 roads that were supposed to be built in the 90's with already secured funds have only built and completed 3, and the state is out of that money and will probably impose a new gasoline tax once gas prices fall back to about 1.20 per gallon. All institutions of higher learning will have to absorb about 40million this year that they previously depended on the state for, and the state hospitals will also have to absorb about 120 million.

My question to the legislatures and the governer is What the F*** are you doing with my money. We live in the crapiest state in the union as evidenced by all national rankings in about every national category, and our state is still looking down the barrell of a 50million dollar deficit this year again.

AYYYYYEEEEEEE!

[Dwayne From Minden]

My question to the legislatures and the governer is What the F*** are you doing with my money.

They are growing the state gov't by adding more jobs - this is on the state, parish and local levels -

Like some of us tried to explain to some of the dufusses here in Minden when they built the new City Rec Complex and touted as one of its many benefits was the creation of about 20 to 25 new permanent jobs and 50 to 75 part time jobs - those jobs are paid for by TAX REVENUE derived from taxes on the citizens of Minden - no new money comes in - just a redistribution of existing funds...

Your are basically taking a pat of butter and trying to cover 5 pieces of toast instead of the one normal slice...

[Jetstorm]

Louisiana has the most gov't. workers, state, federal, and local, per capita in the U.S.

And they vote. All of them. With a vengeance. With only one thing in mind; who is more likely to preserve my job and increase my benefits.

Don't believe me? A buddy of mine, as hardcore a Republican and evangelical Christian as you will find anywhere, refused to vote for Bobby Jindal because Jindal had the gall to propose "outsourcing" his job (computer tech support for state employees) to a private company to try to save the taxpayers some money. We had a lengthy debate about this last fall.

When it comes to self-preservation, party principles be damned, was basically what his position was.

[Bossdawg]

Louisiana has the most gov't. workers, state, federal, and local, per capita in the U.S.

And they vote. All of them. With a vengeance. With only one thing in mind; who is more likely to preserve my job and increase my benefits.

Don't believe me? A buddy of mine, as hardcore a Republican and evangelical Christian as you will find anywhere, refused to vote for Bobby Jindal because Jindal had the gall to propose "outsourcing" his job (computer tech support for state employees) to a private company to try to save the taxpayers some money. We had a lengthy debate about this last fall.

When it comes to self-preservation, party principles be damned, was basically what his position was.

That's right and its all in these numbers

# of private jobs lost in the last 5 years 33,000

# of state jobs added in the last 5 years 9,000

Taxes are getting more expensive because corporations leave the state becasue they can manufacture cheaper in Arkansas or Mississippi, then the state hires all these people back to keep unemployment low. I guess they would rather add jobs than have to pay all of that unemployment out.

Don't look for it to get any better. Look for more corporations to leave Louisiana in the coming years, because the tax break promised to companies that would essentially eradicate any tax for equipment bought for the expansion of a company and a few other small taxes will not be phased out this year as promised by governer elect Blanco in her campaign but over the next 8 years.

Oh keep in mind that all state hospitals and colleges will also be biting the bullet big time.

FYI: On Moon Graffon show. Louisiana insurance companies view any telephone call made to a branch of that company is considered a claim. So the next time you call to check on a new quote or add insurance or shoot the breeze with your agent, he is sticking one in your backside.

[dawg88]

It's hurt the I-20 Service Rd. project in Ruston. Ruston and Monroe setup tax districts several years ago which allowed a large percentage of the sales tax generated in the established district to be dedicated to infrastructure projects in the district. Soon after the program was enacted, the Legistature ended the program out of fear that it would place to large of a drain on the State. Anyway, the I-20 service rd. area in Ruston and the area around Pecanland Mall in Monroe were grandfather into the program.

Ruston was set to sell bonds to pay for a major overhaul of the serivce roads in Ruston, but plans have been put put on hold because the Stelly Plan decreased the revenue source that would have repaid the bonds.

Redoing the service roads is still set to begin later this year, but financing the project will not be as easy...

By the way, anybody notice "Ruston - Home of Louisiana Tech University (with the Tech Logo underneath" on the recently repainted I-20 water tower? It could have been painted a little a larger, but it's still a nice touch.
________
Body Science

[Bossdawg]

Great loss for the state of Louisiana today, The business tax that Blanco promised would be gone in her campaign that will not actually be removed untill 2012 (supposing she is re-elcted) cost a company that needed 1000 employees to manufacture tank cars to instead build its plant in Texas, WAY TO GO!

Go complain to blanco if you are unemployeed and can't find a job these, but really its ok because soon there will be no more private sector jobs in LA just state jobs and we will live in the new defected from the union communist Louisiana.