Local governments across Louisiana could lose millions ofdollars in occupational license tax revenue because of a five-year-old court casethat pitted Jefferson Parish tax collectors against owners of rental property.Jefferson's government stands to lose as much as 93 percent of its occupationallicense revenue, including the entire $1.6 million allocated to the JeffersonEconomic Development Commission.
The issue arose in 2008 when Sheriff Newell Normand, theparish's tax collector, sued 42 apartment complex owners who had not paid occupationallicense taxes over the previous five years.