Rapides Sales Tax Falls Again ***Exclusive***

Posted by Steve Coco on Sunday, January 31, 2010
The ominous trend of falling sales tax collections continues for Rapides Parish.
The local economy is in a "swoon" regardless of shyster objections by local business and political hacks. Total tax income for January was DOWN 902-thousand dollars. Most of those funds came from business in December, so February with only 28 days, will be even worse. This trend could continue for much of 2010.
A major Automotive dealership on Coliseum Boulevard reportedly had only ONE customer all day January 28th. A used car dealer on MacArthur Drive says he might as well "shut" down, since business is so dead. Some local Jewelry stores say business died last year.
On a brighter note, local restaurants look busy on the 1st and 15th because of "paydays".

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why is this a BIG surprise? There is nothing here. I recently bought a new car, of course I hit the local dealerships. I don't think the dealers around here realise that there is an "internet". It took all of a couple hours on the internet till I was "wheelin' and dealin'" with other dealerships around the state. Long story short, I purchase the car I was looking for in Lafayette. It was the exact car that I had shopped locally and I got it thousands less and was treated better than the dealer here, who basically ingored me after he determined that he didn't have the exact car on his lot. He didn't even offer to find it.
I drove 1-1/2 hours to Lafayette and picked up the car and went to eat some good food while I was down there, WIN WIN!
Wake up CENLA, there is a BIG ol' world out there!

January 31, 2010 9:52 AM
Anonymous said...

And the local news media, which is being lead around by the nose, will be saying "everything is great in cenla" ! Look around. The media gets giddy and reports that Best Buy is coming to town. However, what they dont report is several other businesses closed. So at best, it is a breakeven for employment. And hey, how about that mall? Take a ride on the major highways leading out of town and you will see traffic heading to Monroe, Lafayette, Shreveport or Baton Rouge to do their shopping. But everything is great here. We have a monster truck rally here and that does wonders for the town.

January 31, 2010 10:38 AM
SW625 said...

You hit that nail on the head. I try to buy anything of any value either on the internet or out of town. The prices are better and sometimes so is the tax rate. How can Lafayette have a lower tax rate and so much more to offer? I'll tell you how, they don't sit around trying to figure out ways to scam Federal money for stuff that nobody will use.

January 31, 2010 11:06 AM
Anonymous said...

If it was not for federal grants (for walking trails and parks that people are terrified to use), Alexandria would dry up.

January 31, 2010 1:13 PM
SW625 said...

You are absolutely right! All the tax base for Alexandria is moving out of the city. How can a city survive after that?

January 31, 2010 5:07 PM
Anonymous said...

Steve,

Great post! Need a little more info, though. This is month-over-month, so I'd expect January to be lower than December (Christmas). How did January 2010 compare to January 2009. For that matter, how did November and December of last year compare to November and December of 2008?

January 31, 2010 9:08 PM
Anonymous said...

Just wait. The Bolton Avenue and Lee Street Economic corridors will turn this city around.

February 1, 2010 7:12 AM
Anonymous said...

To car buyer: I worked at one of the local dealerships for several years, and if you saved thousands, you never worked up a deal locally. I used to hear this claim all the time. The reality is you probably could hav done the same deal or close to it here at home. The car business offers early indicators for our local economy, and what we all need to realize is that when the local dealers close, you not only loose the sales department, service goes away too. How would you like to drive to Lafayette every time you have a warranty issue (all cars have them). I am not telling you to let yourself get taken advantage of, but instead be upfront and give the local guys a chance. If you don't like how you are being treated ask for a manager.

February 1, 2010 12:54 PM

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