OTHER INCENTIVES

Additional incentives to local businesses

East Baton Rouge Quality Jobs

The East Baton Rouge Quality Jobs program offers local tax abatement for qualifying companies who bring new revenue from payroll into East Baton Rouge. Benefits include tax abatement for up to ten years of parish-wide property taxes associated with the new investment. To qualify, business must create one hundred jobs or more at wages above the regional industry average or the average regional wage as a whole. Additionally, companies must also finance their startup or expansion using the Industrial Development Bonds to qualify.

East Baton Rouge Enterprise Zone (EZ) Program

The East Baton Rouge Enterprise Zone includes a rebate of local sales taxes on construction material and equipment for those taxes not already dedicated to the school board or certain infrastructure improvements. This is similar to the jobs incentives program provided by the state, however, in order to be eligible, projects must be located within the enterprise zone. Retail businesses must also be located in targeted census tracts. The tax rebates for this are 1.9 percent.

Workforce Investment Board

The Workforce Investment Act rebates up to 50 percent of a qualifying employee's salary for up to six months. The WIA training benefit can be used with classroom training or on-the-job training or a hybrid of both for a maximum of 50 percent of a qualified employer's total workforce.