Bienville municipalities’ taxes collected illegally
ARCADIA – Three Bienville Parish municipalities are collecting sales taxes illegally.
In recent days, officials learned the voter-approved authorizations for one-cent sales taxes collected in the municipalities of Arcadia, Gibsland and Castor have expired. And in some cases, long expired.
All three will have to stop collecting their taxes Oct. 1, according to Jarvis Osborne, Bienville Parish Sales and Use Tax Commission board president and School Board business manager.
Collections can resume only after voters give approval to renewals. The earliest date for an election is Dec. 8.
The oversight was discovered as a result of the ongoing criminal investigation in Gibsland. Representatives of the state legislative auditor’s office have been in and out of Town Hall over the past few months as questions have been raised about the mayor’s actions and spending practices.
“We realized it with the audit going on. It was brought to our attention last week,” Osborne said of Gibsland’s sales tax expiration.
09/19/2012 at 5:03 am |
Kudos to Bienville Parish folks.
You all did not wait years and years to pull your heads out of the sand.
Get her done…
09/19/2012 at 7:53 pm |
Will the people in Bienville get a refund?