Priscilla Gonzalez Tax Plan
Fairness, Not Favoritism
For decades, the American tax system has been engineered to benefit the wealthy and powerful at the expense of working families. While corporate profits have soared to record highs and billionaires have seen their fortunes multiply, the average family in Louisiana’s 3rd District is struggling to keep up. Wages have stagnated, prices have risen and yet the tax burden on working people has remained stubbornly high.
Louisiana’s tax structure is particularly regressive. Low-income families pay a higher percentage of their income in state and local taxes than the wealthiest residents. This is due to decades of policy choices that have prioritized corporate interests over the needs of everyday Louisianaians.
Meanwhile, large corporations exploit loopholes to pay little to nothing in federal taxes. Companies like Amazon, ExxonMobil and countless others have used offshore tax havens, complex accounting gimmicks, and generous deductions to avoid contributing their fair share. The result is a system where working families and small businesses shoulder the burden while multinational conglomerates skate by.
This is an unfair and unsustainable system. When corporations do not pay their fair share, the government lacks the revenue needed to invest in infrastructure, education, healthcare and the other public services that make our communities thrive. Working families are overtaxed, meaning they have less money for their disposable income and spend what little they have on essentials.
I am running for Congress to change this. My tax agenda is built on a simple principle: everyone should pay their fair share, and no one should be asked to pay more than they can afford.
Cutting Taxes for Working Families
The first priority of my tax agenda is to provide meaningful, immediate relief to the working families of Louisiana’s 3rd District. For too long, tax cuts have been designed to benefit the wealthy, with working families receiving only scraps. I will introduce legislation and amendments to reverse that.
I support a significant expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. These are among the most effective anti-poverty programs in American history, lifting millions of children out of poverty and putting money directly into the pockets of working families. I will fight to make the Child Tax Credit fully refundable and available monthly, so families do not have to wait until tax season to receive the support they need. For a family with two children in Acadia Parish, this could mean an additional $3,000 to $4,000 per year.
I also believe that our teachers, first responders, healthcare workers and veterans deserve special recognition. These are the people who educate our children, protect our communities, care for the sick and defended our nation. They are the backbone of our district and our nation, yet they are often underpaid, overworked and suffer with stress, anxiety and depression due to burnout. That is why I support the Hometown Hero Tax Cut, which would make the first $10,000 of income completely tax-free for all public school teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMT’s and veterans.
For seniors, I will oppose any attempts to tax Social Security benefits. Our retirees have paid into this system their entire working lives, and they should not be penalized for relying on the benefits they earned. In a district with a significant retiree population, this is a moral commitment to my campaign.
Making Corporations and the Wealthy Pay Their Fair Share
If we are going to cut taxes for working families, we must ensure that corporations and the wealthy contribute their fair share to fund the public goods we all rely on. For too long, the wealthiest individuals and largest corporations have used their power and influence to avoid paying taxes, leaving working families to pick up the slack.
I support closing the corporate tax loopholes that allow multinational companies to shift their profits to offshore tax havens. Companies like Apple, Google, and ExxonMobil have used complex accounting schemes to avoid paying billions in U.S. taxes. We will then spend that money on you, investing in infrastructure, education and healthcare among many other public services.
I also support a minimum corporate tax rate of 15% on billion-dollar companies. Currently, many of the largest corporations in America pay effective tax rates far below the statutory rate, thanks to deductions, credits, and exemptions that are not available to small businesses or working families. A minimum tax that is truly enforced would not allow corporations to evade paying their fair share.
For the wealthiest individuals, I support a modest tax on extreme wealth. Anyone earning over $50 million shall pay a 2% annual tax. This would generate an estimated $400 billion per year. This small tax on massive wealth would allow us to be able to put more money into public services and protect the public from extreme poverty.
A Land Value Tax: Making Speculators Pay, Not Working People
Across Louisiana’s 3rd District, we see a troubling pattern: large corporations, out-of-state investment firms, and wealthy speculators are buying up vast tracts of land, farmland, timberland and vacant lots and simply holding them in speculation. They are waiting for prices to rise, for development to come, or for the opportunity to sell to the highest bidder. In the meantime, the land lies idle, contributing nothing to our communities, while families struggle to find affordable places to live and work.
This is not how a healthy economy functions. Land is a finite resource, and when it is hoarded by those who have no intention of using it productively, it drives up prices for everyone. Young farmers cannot afford to buy land to start their operations. Families cannot afford to build homes. Rural communities cannot attract new businesses when land prices are artificially inflated by speculation.
At the same time, our current property tax system penalizes those who actually use and improve their land. A farmer who works the soil, a family that builds a home, or a small business owner who constructs a shop all pay higher taxes than a speculator who lets land sit vacant. We should be rewarding productive use of land.
A Land Value Tax is a simple solution to this problem.
Who It Targets:
Large corporate landowners who hold vast tracts of land for speculation, investment or tax avoidance.
Out-of-state investment firms that buy up Louisiana land as a financial asset, not as a productive resource. Agribusiness conglomerates that consolidate farmland and drive up prices for family farmers.
Vacant lot owners in urban and suburban areas who sit on undeveloped land while communities need housing and business.
Timber and resource companies that hold land without sustainable management or productive use.
The Land Value Tax would explicitly exempt:
Family farmers, small landowners, low-income families, conservation landowners, tribal lands. If the land is being used for productive purposes, protects wildlife or in fact is the only source of wealth for a poorer household, it must be protected.
How it works:
Assessment: Land would be assessed based on its unimproved value, the value of land itself, excluding any buildings, crops, or improvements. This assessment would be conducted by local assessors using established property valuation methods.
Tax rate: The tax rate would be set at a modest percentage of the land value, with high rates for land held idle or for speculation and lower rates for land used productively.
Exemptions: As described above, family farms, primary residences and low-income landowners would be exempt or subject to a massively reduced rate.
Revenue use: Revenue generated from the Land Value Tax would be used to lower property taxes on homes and improvements, fund infrastructure and support local schools.
Why it works:
The Land Value Tax has been proven effective in places like Pennsylvania, Singapore and Taiwan.
Housing costs decreased
Supported family farms
Encouraged productive use of land
Could not be evaded
Reduced inequality and poverty
