NFIB member John Overton is scheduled to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee on Friday, expressing concerns about a proposed parish electronic filing system that could impact small businesses.
Overton, who serves as owner and CFO of Turn Key Solutions with locations in Baton Rouge and Metairie, plans to discuss his experience with the parish e-file initiative. He will address how the new system may increase administrative costs and introduce additional reporting requirements for small business owners.
Leah Long, NFIB State Director, stated that the parish e-file proposal brings up significant issues regarding increased compliance demands, restricted filing options, and a challenging timeline for implementation. According to Long, “Small business owners want to comply with the law, but this proposal makes compliance more complicated and more expensive. Lawmakers should slow down this process and fix the problems before moving forward.”
If enacted, many businesses would be required to file more frequently—often monthly—and reconcile their gross sales at the parish level with state totals. These rules would apply even if businesses do not have a physical presence in certain parishes. This could substantially raise both the number of filings required and related compliance expenses.
Long also noted that rolling out these changes by January 1 presents difficulties due to limited communication with business owners and insufficient time for them to prepare.
