Tuesday, November 22, 2005
By Jennifer Marusak

BATON ROUGE (AP) - A four-day holiday from state sales taxes is the latest idea for giving Louisiana shoppers a pre-Christmas tax break, though legislators still need to agree on the details.

Lawmakers have haggled over specifics of the plan, including how long it should last, which types of purchases it covers, and whether businesses should be able to ignore it and charge sales tax.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco suggested a one-day holiday, but lawmakers have come up with various other proposals, including one that would last a full week.

The Senate on Friday approved a bill creating a four-day holiday from the state's 4 percent sales tax, applying to purchases up to $10,000 from Dec. 15 to 18, not including prepared meals or automobiles.

Stores would have the option of ignoring the holiday and charging sales taxes anyway.

The House rejected that proposal late Monday. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Billy Montgomery, D-Haughton, said the four-day proposal could cost the state too much in tax revenue - between $20 million and $30 million. A legislative committee will have to agree on a compromise measure.

Sen. Rob Marionneaux said Louisiana's taxpayers should get four days, considering other bills give $52 million in tax breaks to businesses and "special interests."

"Either way, the people's interests lose the ball game to the special interests," said Marionneaux, D-Livonia.

Sen. Nick Gautreaux, DMeaux, failed in his attempt to create a weeklong tax holiday.