Don’t raise homestead exemption, LABI says

The state’s largest business lobby will oppose raising Louisiana’s homestead exemption in the next legislative session. The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry says the exemption should remain at $75,000, and says a proposal to raise the exemption to $150,000 will only shift more of the tax burden to businesses, renters and homeowners with more valuable homes. “We’ve got a lot of things that need to be fixed in Louisiana. This isn’t one of them,” said LABI president Dan Juneau, speaking at a legislative issues conference in Baton Rouge today. Juneau also expects to see legislation proposed that would require greater accountability for unelected taxing bodies that seek to roll millages forward when property values increase. LABI’s Jim Patterson urged attendees to oppose the Employee Free Choice Act, also known as “card check,” a proposed change in federal law that would make it easier for unions to organize.—David Jacobs