A public utility may pass certain local taxes or fees charged by a Louisiana political subdivision through to customers, unless the payment is excluded or exceeds 5% of the utility’s annual gross receipts in that subdivision.
§4510. Charge-back of certain taxes and other payments made to a political subdivision; construction, scope, and application of provisions A. Whenever any political subdivision of the state of Louisiana, as defined in Article VI, Section 44(2) of the Constitution of Louisiana, shall collect or receive any payment from any public utility operating within such political subdivision, including those utilities whose rates and charges are regulated by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, for or by reason of the use of its streets, alleys, or public ways or places, or lands belonging to the state, or for or by reason of the operation of the utility's business or by reason of any agreement between such political subdivision and the utility, whether such payment be called a license, occupational, privilege, franchise, or inspection tax, charge, or fee, or otherwise, the amount of such tax or payment may, to the extent that such tax or payment was not included as a part of the cost of furnishing services in the fixing of the rates and charges for such services by the Louisiana Public Service Commission, be added to the sales price of such public utility's service and billed pro rata to the utility's customers receiving local service within the political subdivision collecting such taxes or receiving such payments. B. This Section shall not be construed as granting to any political subdivision any authority to levy any tax, other than such authority as the political subdivision already has under the constitution and statutes of Louisiana. C. Nothing in this Section shall apply to ad valorem taxes nor to an occupational license tax levied and collected by a political subdivision under the provisions of, and subject to the limitations of, R.S. 47:341 and 358. D. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any payments by a utility to a political subdivision in excess of five percent of the annual gross receipts of the utility from its customers within said political subdivision, whether said payments are made as a license, occupational, privilege, franchise, or inspection tax, charge, or fee, or by agreement between the utility and the political subdivision. Acts 1960, No. 247, §§1-4; Acts 1995, No. 380, §1.