BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (WAFB) – The East Baton Rouge City Council has approved a new 2 percent sales tax that it says will help revitalize downtown.
Council members said they wanted to bring new life to downtown Baton Rouge and put aside any safety concerns.
“Unless you’re buying heroin or looking for a prostitute, you’re pretty safe downtown,” says Jen Racca of the 12th City Council.
The two percent tax is part of efforts to create a new convention center and hotel at the River Center.
Doc L’Herrison of the Spanish Town Mardi Gras said the tax will hit the carnival society and its annual ball.
“All of our annual income goes to local charities, so two percent is taken from each charity, so about 20 charities a year,” L’Herrison said.
“We understand their concerns,” said Jill Kidder, president and CEO of Visit Baton Rouge. “The word taxes or fees or something like that always comes up, but this is a small county and there are no residents here who are taxed.”
This map shows the areas of the district. Within the square between the river, North Blvd., St. Ferdinand and Government Street.
Homes, restaurants, and the Old State Capitol are outside. The River Center and its future hotel, the USS Kidd Museum, and the Louisiana Art and Science Museum are all in the neighborhood.
Those involved in the project say the tax money will be returned to the district to attract more tourists to Baton Rouge.
“It’s a sign to our developers and potential developers that the city is committed and will recognize this as a real driver of economic development,” Kidder explained.
“Do we need another tax district? I don’t understand,” asked L’Herrison.
The tax was not put to a vote because there are no residents in the district. It will not go into effect until the new hotel and conference rooms are built.
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