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Fr. Kammer spoke in support of Louisiana HB 70 on Tuesday. Committee members voted 8-6 to advance the bill to the full House.
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<p>By SUE LINCOLN, 89.9 WWNO</p>
<p>A bill to increase a tax credit program by $47-million dollars found favor with the House Ways and Means Committee Tuesday. Speaker Pro Tem Walt Leger’s HB 70 would double Louisiana’s current Earned Income Tax Credit.</p>
<p>“This allows about 30-percent of the state of Louisiana to keep more of their earned money,” Leger told the committee.</p>
<p>There were the kind of arguments for the bill that you’d expect.</p>
<p>“I see this bill as a response to consistent criticism that I hear – in this building and in the community at large – about people ‘getting something for nothing’,” Leger explained. “This program is one that rewards people for working.”</p>
<p>Father Fred Kammer, with Loyola’s Social Research Institute, said increasing Louisiana’s credit from 3 ½ percent to 7 percent of the federal EITC would be a raise for Louisiana’s working poor.</p>
<p>“The dollar value to each family of the federal share was $2685,” Kammer said of the most recent tax year. “The state value was $94.”</p>
<p>There were objections, like this from Kenner Rep. Julie Stokes, who said she wasn’t comfortable with the timing.</p>
<p>“We’re going to be back in this building – probably in early 2016 – for a special session that will focus on tax reform,” Stokes said, urging a delay in acting on this bill. “I think that would probably be better timing.”</p>
<p>“I share your concerns with the timing,” Leger responded. “However, given the nature of our situation and the need for offsets, I thought it was an appropriate thing to bring at this time.”</p>
<p>“Offsets” ended up being the key argument. This bill could help offset the House-approved tax increases, thus assisting with keeping the budget within the governor’s “no net tax increase” guidelines.</p>
<p>“If we’re going to ultimately balance the budget – without vetoes – we need to just be cognizant that, at this point in the session, providing the Senate with some options on offsets is, I think, a valuable tool,” Leger explained.</p>
<p>Committee members, several crossing party lines, voted 8-6 to advance the bill to the full House.</p>
<p><a href="http://wwno.org/post/offsets-are-latest-budget-balancing-tool">MORE>></a></p>
<p>A bill to increase a tax credit program by $47-million dollars found favor with the House Ways and Means Committee Tuesday. Speaker Pro Tem Walt Leger’s HB 70 would double Louisiana’s current Earned Income Tax Credit.</p>
<p>“This allows about 30-percent of the state of Louisiana to keep more of their earned money,” Leger told the committee.</p>
<p>There were the kind of arguments for the bill that you’d expect.</p>
<p>“I see this bill as a response to consistent criticism that I hear – in this building and in the community at large – about people ‘getting something for nothing’,” Leger explained. “This program is one that rewards people for working.”</p>
<p>Father Fred Kammer, with Loyola’s Social Research Institute, said increasing Louisiana’s credit from 3 ½ percent to 7 percent of the federal EITC would be a raise for Louisiana’s working poor.</p>
<p>“The dollar value to each family of the federal share was $2685,” Kammer said of the most recent tax year. “The state value was $94.”</p>
<p>There were objections, like this from Kenner Rep. Julie Stokes, who said she wasn’t comfortable with the timing.</p>
<p>“We’re going to be back in this building – probably in early 2016 – for a special session that will focus on tax reform,” Stokes said, urging a delay in acting on this bill. “I think that would probably be better timing.”</p>
<p>“I share your concerns with the timing,” Leger responded. “However, given the nature of our situation and the need for offsets, I thought it was an appropriate thing to bring at this time.”</p>
<p>“Offsets” ended up being the key argument. This bill could help offset the House-approved tax increases, thus assisting with keeping the budget within the governor’s “no net tax increase” guidelines.</p>
<p>“If we’re going to ultimately balance the budget – without vetoes – we need to just be cognizant that, at this point in the session, providing the Senate with some options on offsets is, I think, a valuable tool,” Leger explained.</p>
<p>Committee members, several crossing party lines, voted 8-6 to advance the bill to the full House.</p>
<p><a href="http://wwno.org/post/offsets-are-latest-budget-balancing-tool">MORE>></a></p>