When residents ask where local tax dollars go, there is not one simple answer. The money is divided across property taxes, sales taxes, schools, fire districts, law enforcement, municipalities, drainage, recreation, health services, dedicated purposes, and overlapping districts.
A better structure is the long-term goal.
Residents have asked for a simpler, more transparent, and more sustainable tax structure. That is a fair request, and this page is organized to help people find the proof behind the numbers quickly.
We hear the request for a new or better structure.
Many residents have made it clear that they want a simpler, more transparent, and more sustainable tax structure. We support that goal. A larger restructuring effort takes time, public discussion, and coordination across multiple taxing agencies.
For the judicial system and other agencies with renewals before voters now, there is not enough time to wait for a full restructuring process. That is why the short-term approach is a fully dedicated sales tax to address the judicial system need.
We also support agencies that are asking voters for lower renewals. That is part of addressing the larger concern residents have raised: people want taxes to go down.
We appreciate the heightened level of civil public discussion taking place in the community, including on social media. Residents are asking serious questions, organizing on their own, and seeking verifiable information. We hope that interest leads to more participation at public meetings, either in person or virtually.
Where St. Tammany ranks
A tax ranking should not only show how much is paid. It should also show the size of the tax base behind those dollars. St. Tammany has strong household income, but a more limited business tax base than many other Louisiana parishes.
Residents carry more of the weight because the business tax base is smaller.
In 2024, business property made up an estimated 41.2% of St. Tammany’s property tax base, compared with an estimated 68.9% in the average Louisiana parish. That was the lowest business-property share of any parish in the state.
A moderate property-tax base means fewer taxable dollars behind each resident. Source Louisiana Tax Commission
Source: LA Association of Tax Administrators
St. Tammany’s business share of the property tax base was the lowest of any Louisiana parish.
Close to the comparable-parish average of $2,582, based on 2024 sales/property tax data.
Comparable-parish taxes per capita
Among the Legislative Auditor’s comparison group, St. Tammany was close to the average for total local sales and property taxes per capita. The issue is not simply the amount paid, it is how much is dedicated and how much is available.
Why your tax bill is hard to explain
A single total does not tell the whole story. Local tax dollars are collected in different ways, distributed to different agencies, and often dedicated by law to specific services or districts.
Collected does not mean available
Some reports show what was collected or distributed. That does not mean all of it is available for any purpose.
Many dollars are legally dedicated
A tax approved for one purpose, district, or agency usually cannot simply be shifted to another need.
Districts overlap
Two residents may live in the same parish but fall under different municipalities, fire districts, recreation districts, or special districts.
The details matter
To understand the system, residents need to see both the big categories and the individual purposes behind them.
Where residents are seeing lower tax rates
Many residents have asked a direct question: where are taxes actually going down? This section connects you with public Assessor information showing millage history, lower renewals, rollbacks, and changes that affect the amount taxpayers are asked to pay.
See the public millage history and tax reduction information
The Assessor’s millage history page includes public charts and information that help show where tax rates have been reduced or renewed at lower levels. These records are provided so residents can review the numbers for themselves and compare what has changed over time.
This page does not ask you to take anyone’s word for it. It points you to the source information so you can verify the tax history and see where reductions have occurred.
Open Assessor millage history →Review the documents behind the numbers
The top chart figures use 2024 source data. Property/ad valorem figures are shown from the distribution view, and sales-tax figures are aligned to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s 2024 comparison methodology using collector data and gross collections where available.
Property/ad valorem chart data
Used for the property-tax structure chart showing dedicated line items and the estimated flexible amount available for core operations.
Open millage history →Sales-tax comparison data
Used for the current sales-tax chart showing FY 2024 local sales-tax revenue for parishwide comparison purposes, based on Louisiana Legislative Auditor methodology using collector data and gross collections where available.
Open LLA report →Louisiana comparison data
Used for statewide tax-base rankings and the comparable-parish revenue comparison from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor report St. Tammany Parish Funding, April 8, 2026, using 2024 sales and property tax data.
Open LLA report →Agency audits
The audit links below provide public reports for agencies and districts that receive or manage local public funds.
Latest Agency Audits
Access the most recent audit reports for key St. Tammany Parish public agencies.
Tax information video library
Watch the public tax explainer videos directly on this page, or open the full playlist on YouTube.
Keep St Tammany Safe PSA
Info PSA
Review the tax plan presentations
Select a presentation below to preview it on this page.
Parish Government Financial Outlook
A look at the Parish’s financial outlook, budget challenges, and revenue options.
Why this matters to residents
Local taxes pay for real services people use every day like roads, drainage, schools, law enforcement, fire protection, libraries, recreation, health services, and municipal services. But the money does not all go to the same place, and it cannot always be moved from one purpose to another.
This page is designed to make the structure easier to understand before getting lost in the individual line items including more than 63 property/ad valorem lines and 23 sales-tax distribution lines.
One key issue is flexibility: after dedicated property-tax uses are accounted for, about $7.8 million remains available to help operate core functions such as the Jail, District Attorney, Judges, Courthouse, and Parish Government.
Start with the big picture
The best way to understand local taxes is to start with the big picture, then move into the categories and line items.
Start with the structure.
Local taxes are layered, dedicated, and split across multiple authorities.
Look at the big categories.
Schools, public safety, roads, municipalities, health, recreation, drainage, and districts.
Then review the details.
The individual line items make more sense once the categories are understood.
