Louisiana Laws - Louisiana State Legislature

RS 47:338.84

§338.84. Parish and city school boards; authority to levy sales tax; use of proceeds; report format

A. In order to provide additional funds for the payment of salaries of teachers employed in the public elementary and secondary schools of the respective parishes and cities of the state and/or for the operation of the public elementary and secondary schools of the parishes and cities of the state, any parish or city school board in the state is hereby authorized to levy and collect a sales tax not in excess of one per cent within the parish or city, as the case may be, as hereinafter set forth provided that where there are dual school boards in any parish, both must accept the imposition and means of collection and dispersion of the tax.

B. The sales tax so levied shall be imposed by an ordinance of the parish or city school board, as the case may be, and shall be levied upon the sale at retail, the use, the lease or rental, the consumption and storage for use or consumption of tangible personal property and on sales of services in the parish or city, as the case may be, all as presently defined in R.S. 47:301 et seq.; provided, however, that the ordinance imposing said tax shall be adopted by the school board only after the question of the imposition of the tax shall have been submitted to the qualified electors of the parish or city at an election conducted in accordance with the general election laws of the state of Louisiana, and the majority of those voting in said election shall have voted in favor of the adoption of such ordinance. All costs of conducting the election required by this Section shall be borne by the parish or city school board calling the election.

C. This tax shall be in addition to all other taxes and shall be collected at the same time and in the same manner and pursuant to the definitions, practices and procedures set forth in R.S. 47:301 et seq.

D. The proceeds of the tax herein authorized shall be used exclusively to supplement other revenues available to the school board for the payment of salaries of teachers in the elementary and secondary schools of the parish or city, as the case may be, and/or for the expenses of operating said schools, and the ordinance imposing said tax and any amendments thereto shall state such purpose. None of the proceeds of this tax shall be used for capital improvements.

E. Nothing contained in this Section and particularly no provision of Subsection D hereof shall be construed to affect the purposes for which the proceeds of any sales tax authorized or levied prior to December 11, 1964 shall be used, and in all such cases the disposition of the proceeds of sales taxes heretofore authorized or levied by a parish school board shall be made in accordance with the authorization under which such tax was levied and is being collected.

F. Provided that the funds raised by parishes and/or local school boards pursuant to the provisions of this act shall not be considered by the State Board of Education or the State Department of Education in the application of the state equalization formula or the distribution of proceeds of any other kind or nature by the State Board of Education and the State Department of Education.

G. Repealed by Acts 2003, No. 73, §3, eff. July 1, 2003.

Added by Acts 1964, Ex.Sess., No. 29, §§1, 3. Acts 1985, No. 738, §1; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2; Acts 2003, No. 73, §3, eff. July 1, 2003; Redesignated from R.S. 33:2737 pursuant to Acts 2011, No. 248, §4.