State Farm is cutting 1,200 jobs in Monroe, Louisiana

[The Sushi Bandit]

"a town of less than a 50k population," according to one employee.

http://www.statefarm.com/sflocal/midsouth/la_consol.htm

[jus_the_facts]

1. Yeah it's more like 55K actually.....I live here....

....and this is some f'd up shit they've decided to pull...gonna be droppin' my car insurance with 'em too...the City of Monroe has been tryin' to put up a good front about how it's not gonna hurt us..but it's goin' to be baaaaad....all we've heard about before this incident is how broke the City is...yet somehow they offered State Farm millions of dollars to stay here???? :shrug:

:wtf:

[dace]

2. Louisiana History

Monroe isn't the first to be hit. Louisiana has a tax structure that is extememly business unfriendly and has been driving companies out in droves. The breaks they attempted to give would be a drop in the bucket to what they had extorted from State farm up to that point. What Louisiana needs to do is decide whether to have a large tax base at low rates or a small base at high rates. Until then that sound you hear is company after company fleeing the oppression to friendlier states.

[idlisambar]

3. How are the taxes business unfriendly?

Can you give me the lowdown or provide a link?

I am from Louisiana, and born in Monroe. I would love to go back at some point because it's a such beautiful state, but there is just not much economic opportunity.

[markus]

4. LA has a history of taxing businesses

The problem isn't Louisiana, its the rest of the country and a federal government that allows business to escape virtually all federal and state taxes.