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New Iberia may be just one more tax away from prosperity—at least, that appears to be the theory.
City officials are considering another 1-cent sales tax to support a private development project approaching $40 million. Their justification includes jobs, retail growth, and economic development. The complication? New Iberia already has a 10.5% sales tax, while one existing shopping area they’re adding to reportedly has 25 vacant storefronts.
Today, we examine the proposal and ask whether making New Iberia more expensive is really the solution to its economic problems.
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Behind Every Blade of Grass
There’s a running joke around our office that Citizens for a New Louisiana is hiding behind every blade of grass. We’ve heard stories about government officials reconsidering questionable decisions because they were worried we’d find out. That’s a remarkable return on an investment we never made: "reaping where we did not sow, and gathering where we scattered no seed." But there’s something important in here, too.
Our little flashlight has earned us a reputation for bringing things to light. Now many officials act as if someone is watching, even when there isn't. That’s the real value of our government transparency work. It's more than just exposing wrongdoing after the fact. We've created an environment where public officials think twice.
Of course, we can’t actually be behind every blade of grass. There are thousands of public meetings, countless government transactions, and more questionable decisions than our small team could ever hope to investigate. But with your help, we can keep them wondering.
If you believe government works better when someone is paying attention, please consider supporting our work.
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All the municipalities are piggy banks for politicians theft.