By Deon Roberts, Online Editor
Louisiana is no stranger to tax breaks: There was a tax holiday for shoppers in August, movie makers get them and now, thanks to the governor’s signature this month to Broadway South law, theatrical productions will get them, too.
The Legislature and governor usually approve these breaks on the premise that they will be good for the state’s economy.
I think I deserve a tax break, because, as a new parent, my reproductive activities have been very good for the state’s economy.
Most of you readers know that I am a father. I have an 8-month-old. He’s a West Banker: We live in Marrero, in Jefferson Parish.
I am helping to repopulate the metro area after the exodus that followed Hurricane Katrina.
And boy do we need more bodies to get back to pre-K levels.
According to an Oct. 17 report by the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, the population of the six-parish metro area is at 86 percent of the pre-K figure. The population as of September is 450,830 compared with 524,317 in July 2005.
Without people, there is no economy: There is nobody to make goods and nobody to sell goods. That is Economics 101.
Having children is not cheap, especially in the New Orleans area, where many parents send their children to costly private schools to avoid the public school system. So a tax break for us new parents would be helpful.
Perhaps the state could grant the break on our income tax returns. Perhaps new parents could be allowed to pay half what they would normally pay in state income taxes for, say, five years. Or maybe parishes could freeze property tax assessments for new parents until their children turn 18. There could be a requirement that families who use the break must stay in the state for a certain number of years.
That’s not a problem for me. I plan to stay in this area for the long haul. I was born here and will raise my child – and, perhaps, children – here. In the coming years, I will buy clothes, food and toys for my child from local stores, which will help those businesses.
People have fled this area since Katrina, but I’ve returned. I even had a kid since the storm, doing my part to rebuild the population.
So, where’s my tax break?
4 responses so far ↓
The NOLA Report // Monday, October 29, 2007 at 4:52 pm |
A real Blog on New Orleans Business:
nolareport.blogspot.com
Pistolette // Tuesday, October 30, 2007 at 12:22 pm |
I’m also from here and pregnant right now, and I’d just like my New Orleans property taxes to drop. I should be rewarded for owning property in this quagmire, not punished. I wouldn’t mind paying the insane thousands if I thought I was getting something in return, but with a public school system I can’t send my kids to, an understaffed wrecked up police/fire dept, and a DA’s office that doesn’t do a damn thing, what exactly am I paying for?
Also, unless we attract something economically better here than tourists there is no point in growing our population. We’ve always had an overabundance of manual laborers and service industry workers. We need something else here to attract skilled professionals and create a more balanced society.
Sandra // Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 7:05 pm |
Deon,
This article made me think of your blog post. It seems you have raised a very interesting point!
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/nov2007/pi2007119_694057.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_businessweek+exclusives
Enjoy the article,
Sandra
neworleanscitybusiness // Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 10:00 am |
Sandra,
I enjoyed the article. Thanks for forwarding! The problem, of course, is wages. Most of us in the middle class do not earn enough to truly afford a child until after we are of child-bearing age. I’ve always thought it backwards that people earn their largest salaries at the end of their careers. I would much prefer to earn my largest salary now, while I’m the parent of a young child, so I could afford all the related expenses.
Best,
Deon Roberts
Online Editor
New Orleans CityBusiness