According to a Times Picayune article dated 12/20/13 a Louisiana legislative auditor's office reported some oil and gas severance taxes went uncollected from 2009 to 2012 that cost the state millions of dollars in tax revenue. All because the state revenue department shut down a computor program in 2010 that was used to identify delinquent taxpayers. The programs had been sending erroneous bills. Now the state says the computor program will come back on line late in December.
Senator Edwin Murray asked, "why couldn't we just fix the program, rather than turn it off?" Other legislators wondered why it had took so long to get the automated system back up. Governor Jindal has been silent on the issue. It seems like when the oil and gas industry is involved, they get a pass on everything including not paying the severance tax due the state timely for three years while the computer was shut down.
Jindal was outspoken against President Obama when the Affordable Care Act computer system was having problems. However, the President took the steps to take care of the problem and did not shut the system down. Jindal, like most republicans who continue to want to see the President, the country and its people fail, have no character or courage. They are also not serious public servants.
When the head of a state allows his revenue department to shut a computer program down that flags oil and gas companies that have not paid their taxes on time instead of taking care of the problem, you have a governor who failed to do his job. How many years does it take Bobby?
Republicans are good at making a lot of noise. Democrats are good at serving the public. And that really says it all.
This commentary written by John Lucia.
