Sales Tax Revenues Up, Economy Stronger, Outlook Good for East Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, imposes a 2-percent sales tax to support local government. That sales tax seems to serving them well. They recently reported that sales tax collections show “…an increase of 4 percent from the previous year,” which means a total of $162.5 million for the 2011 calendar year.
Coming off one of the strongest Decembers Baton Rouge has seen in several years, the city reports “…the 2011 general-fund sales tax collections represent a $6.3 million increase from the previous year, and a $1.4 million increase from 2009….”
What does this mean for East Baton Rouge? Mayor Melvin “Kip” Holden reports that he has “…watched other cities in Louisiana and around the country cut police officers, reduce services and lay off employees. That hasn’t happened here in East Baton Rouge Parish.”
The Mayor goes on to emphasize that it hasn’t been easy this past year, despite the good sales tax revenues. However, “…with conservative budgeting, we’ve kept our city-parish on solid financial footing and our local economy is strong. And now we’re not just surviving, we’re thriving.”
