opiod crisis Archives - Louisiana Budget Project

January 18, 2018

Fiscal cliff fix cannot wait

Louisiana’s higher education officials have a clear message for lawmakers: a solution to the fiscal cliff is needed, and it’s critical that it happen in February rather than June.

Number of the Day

48,800- Number of Louisiana students who received a TOPS scholarship in the fall 2017 semester. (Source: Nola.com/The Times Picayune via the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance)

November 9, 2017

Cliff notes: The 2018 shortfall

Much has been written about the state’s looming fiscal cliff, often with different numbers or approximations used to describe the size of the shortfall.

Number of the Day

$1,033 - The average amount visitors spent (per person) on a trip to New Orleans in 2016, which is more than the $1,023 average weekly wage of all workers in the city. (Source: The State of Working New Orleans report)

October 27, 2017

Federal tax cut promises don’t add up

The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved the Senate’s budget resolution on Thursday, clearing the way for both chambers to continue their efforts to enact a $1.5 trillion tax cut that would disproportionately benefit the wealthiest Americans.

Number of the Day

23 - Percentage of Louisiana tax filers who used the state and local tax (SALT) deduction in 2015, with an average deduction of $6,742. Republicans in Congress have proposed eliminating the deduction to partially offset the cost of massive tax cuts, making the tax code more regressive. (Source: Government Finance Officers Association)