Officials urge residents to shop local as sales tax collections decrease

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The steady decline in sales tax collections throughout Evangeline Parish has prompted Turkey Creek Mayor Heather Cloud to remind parish residents why it is important to shop locally.
Cloud said, “The federal and state governments, today, are giving out less and less money and grants for projects, which has now made it more important than ever that people support local businesses.”
According to Mike Veillon, with the Evangeline Parish Sales Tax Commission, the parish has seen a “large decrease in sales tax collections over the last 12 months.”
Veillon said, “If you shop locally, then your tax dollars stay at home. When you leave the parish to shop, then your tax dollars go to the parish where you purchased items.”
Shopping local for Cloud’s community would mean that there would be more money to pay for grass cutting, beautification of Turkey Creek and roads and drainage - all of which is partially funded by sales tax collections.
“People want things in their communities,” said Cloud. “But what we all have to recognize is that the benefit of shopping locally is we are then able to pave roads and keep our community clean.”
Cloud, who is a small business owner herself, also said that when it comes to supporting local businesses, it is also imperative that locals uplift local businesses “because being negative hurts small businesses, which ultimately hurts your community.”
Cloud said, “We want places for our families to be able to gather, but the only way we can have that is by showing support for our local businesses. The less we shop at home, the less money we have to provide special places for our local people to enjoy.”
One thing that could soon help boost sales tax collections is a recent decision by the United States Supreme Court to allow states to collect sales taxes from online retailers.
The ruling, which was made last month, overturned a previous ruling that states cannot require companies without a physical presence to collect sales taxes.
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the decision, stated, “The internet’s prevalence and power have changed the dynamics of the national economy. This expansion has also increased the revenue shortfall faced by states seeking to collect their sales and use taxes.”
In the end, the decision to tax online retailers will be left up to each state.
However, according to Veillon, Louisiana already collects taxes from internet sellers such as Amazon and Wayfair.
Veillon did also state that where the tax goes is based on where the buyer takes possession of the item.
Veillon said, “If a buyer takes possession of an item outside of the parish, then those tax dollars go to the parish where the buyer took possession of the item. If they have the item shipped to them in Evangeline Parish, then those sales taxes stay in Evangeline Parish. It’s all about where the customer takes possession of the item they purchase.”
When talking about collecting sales taxes from shopping locally, Cloud, however, continues to just stress the importance of getting what you need from local businesses.
Cloud said, “We are a very mobile society today, and we all want to go do things outside of the parish sometimes. However, I think we all just need to remember that leaving the parish for shopping to much will have major implications for our small communities and local businesses. It can even force communities to have to raise rates on public utilities because they aren’t receiving enough money in sales tax collections.”
“Ultimately,” Cloud said, “we all just need to remember that shopping locally and eating at local restaurants is a good thing. Don’t give up on your local businesses, because they are the bread and butter of our communities.”