END OF BAIT & FEED?

A group of Jeff Davis Parish crawfish farmers have asked the parish to “level the playing field” when it comes to taxation on certain crawfish supplies.

Crawfish farmer Don Gauthier addressed the Jeff Davis Police Jury Wednesday to request that a 5 percent parish tax be eliminated on bait and feed.

Gauthier said he recently completed a survey of surrounding parishes. He said those parishes currently do not have a tax on bait and feed.

“We are just asking you to level the playing field,” Gauthier said. “We checked with other parishes and they do not charge. I would like to see the charge removed.”

In 2009, District 37 Rep. Johnny Guinn backed legislation exempting farmers from paying a state sales tax on crawfish bait and feed.

The bill aimed to help with lowering prices somewhat for production and possibly in the market as well. Gauthier said he would like to see Jeff Davis follow the state’s lead.

“We have been trying to do this for a couple of years now,” he said. “As it stands, cattle and other types of farmers are exempt, just not for crawfish farmers.” He said the farmers would also be approaching the Jeff Davis School Board, which he hopes will follow the police jury’s lead. Thornwell Warehouse manager Danny Willis said he believes the tax exemption will help keep dollars in the parish.

“We have been doing business in the parish for the last 105 years,” Willis said. “From a retail perspective we need this so our prices can be competitive.” Willis said he is concerned that many farmers are shopping outside of the parish for supplies due to better prices, which he claims has a negative impact on his business.

“A big part of our business is selling bait,” Willis said. “When a farmer comes in, he doesn’t just get feed or bait, he may get other things like traps and other supplies. We can’t afford to have them shop in other parishes. We need to be able to set our prices competitively in the parish.”

District 2 Juror John Marceaux recommended that a resolution eliminating the tax be adopted Wednesday and ratified next week at the jury’s regular meeting Jan. 23. District 10 Juror Byron Buller agreed. “All other agricultural feed products are already tax exempt, so I don’t see a problem with this,” he said.