RESALE EXEMPTION CERTIFICATES DISCONTINUED AT        LOCAL LEVEL

Effective November 1, 2009, locally prepared Resale Exemption Certificates shall no longer be issued by the Calcasieu Parish Sales/Use Tax Office. Resale exemption certificates R-1064 or R-1055 will now be issued by the LA Department of Revenue. Existing retail dealers should have received their certificate(s) already while new registrants will receive them either by virtue of their business classification (NAICS Code) or through application.

Since the LA Department of Revenue commenced the issuance of their Resale Exemption Certificate effective Nov. 1, 2009, the Calcasieu Parish Sales/Use Tax Office discontinued issuance of a local certificate. We advised our local dealers that they could accept the LA State Resale Exemption in lieu of a local certificate. Act 438 of the 2012 Legislative Session states that local tax collections shall accept an exemption certificate issued by the DOR. Local certificates may be requested for intra-parish activity as an exception. Calcasieu does not require dealers to have a local certificate if they have secured their state resale exemption certificate. Interested parties should visit the Department's website at www.rev.state.la.us for further information.

 LOCAL TAX INCREASE EFFECTIVE       JANUARY 1, 2011

The tax rate for the Unincorporated Area (Except Ward 1) of Calcasieu Parish has increased to 5.25% effective January 1, 2011, as a result of an increase in the Police Jury's District 4-A tax (1.5%) renewed by voters on October 2, 2010. This is reported in Column A on the sales tax return. All other tax rates remain the same in the parish. For more information click here or contact our office with any questions.

CLOSING YOUR BUSINESS?

If you need to close your business, let us know by completing the Business Closure form on our website and either faxing or mailing it to us. We must have notice of the closure in writing, and this form will give us all of the necessary information. Please make sure all returns have been filed up to the date the business actually ceased operating.

NEW ONLINE FILING RESOURCE

The Louisiana Department of Revenue has set up a website that allows businesses to pay their sales taxes from one central online location. The site, called Parish E-File, began taking forms and payments on October 1, 2008.

No fees are required to use the site, which allows businesses to file and pay state sales taxes and local sales taxes for all 64 parishes.

Registration requires an email address, a bank account number and sales tax account numbers. The site is at https://parishe-file.revenue. louisiana.gov/.  Parishe-file.com - a growing success!

In addition SalesTaxOnline (www.salestaxonline.com) is available for taxpayers to file sales tax returns online. Dealers must register in advance with SalesTaxOnline and BaileyLink to be able to file online. BaileyLink may be accessed by scrolling down and clicking on their link on our website. Both services are offered free of charge to all dealers. 

Sales Tax 101--Free Help to Dealers

Are you a new business owner and overwhelmed by the number of forms and information you need to produce? Maybe you've been in business a while but are unsure of exactly what forms you need to complete. Our office has the answer--Sales Tax 101 is a short session offered by appointment to dealers to help answer questions and make filing returns easier. Call our office for more information or to schedule an appointment for individual assistance.