WHERE TO CUT?— Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says lawmakers who don't want to replace more than $1 billion in expiring taxes should explain how they plan to cut that amount from state spending. The Democratic governor made his comments Thursday to Together Louisiana, an annual assembly of faith-based and community leaders. His words were aimed at House Republicans who have blocked previous tax packages to offset the June 30th one-cent sales tax expiration. “One billion dollars of revenue will fall off the books on June 30 of next year,” explained Edwards.“The state of Louisiana doesn’t need to net new revenue," he said. "We
need to replace the revenue that is falling off the books, and so I’m going to ask Together Louisiana’s help. I’m going to ask each of you to engage with your state representative and state senator, and make sure they know how important it is that we continue to invest in our people. And if they insist on saying no to everything, make them tell you with specificity the cuts that they propose.” Louisiana is currently the state with the highest sales tax in the nation at just below 10%. The one-cent sales tax is set to expire at the end of the fiscal year. Louisiana’s regular legislative session convenes in March.