Former state lawmaker Vic Stelly, mastermind of the “Stelly Plan” state tax reform of 2002, died over the weekend of COVID-19.
Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says the 79-year-old Stelly had a vision for a new way of funding state government using income taxes instead of sales taxes.
“He didn’t just talk about it, he gave up his time, spent time on the road speaking to civic clubs, Kiwanis, Rotaries, speaking to the media. He got the Governor to back him on it,” said Pinsonat.
The Stelly plan lowered, then eliminated state sales taxes on certain items like food and utilities in exchange for raising income taxes on upper-income earners. The plan was adopted by voters as a constitutional amendment 51 percent to 49 percent.
Stelly, who was born in Carencro and raised in Zachary, served in the Legislature from 1988 to 2004. Pinsonat says he was one of the hardest working people at the Capitol.
“Vic Stelly came to Baton Rouge to make things better,” said Pinsonat. “You can say that all of them do that but he actually took part in and was involved in fixing our tax structure.”
Stelly served on the Board of Regents for higher ed from 2007 to 2013.
The “Stelly Plan” was ultimately largely undone during the Jindal Administration. Pinsonat says that decision didn’t end well for Jindal.
“Yea, Jindal paid a real price for that,” said Pinsonat. “After five or six years of him being Governor he eventually faced these incredible deficits which eventually led to him losing a lot of his popularity, and it’s hard to be popular in Louisiana if you don’t have money.”
Vic’s wife, Terry Stelly, died of COVID 13 hours after her husband passed away.
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