KEY TAKEAWAYS: Louisiana rose nine spots to No. 23 in the Tax Foundation’s 2027 State Tax Competitiveness Index, up from No. 40 in 2024. The state ranks ninth for individual income tax competitiveness and 10th for corporate income tax competitiveness. Louisiana has the nation’s highest com bined state and local sales tax rate at 10.11%, according to the Tax Foundation. Louisiana added 36,000 jobs over the past year, reaching a record 2.02 million jobs in September. Construction employment grew 13.5% in the third quarter.   Louisiana is climbing up the rankings of states with favorable tax climates, ranking No. 23 in the Tax Foundation’s 2027 State Tax Competitiveness Index released last week, a jump of nine places over last year amidst a job creation surge. Louisiana improved from 40th since 2024, when the Legislature and Gov. Jeff Landry passed new income tax cuts and other changes to the tax code. “In 2024, we asked the Legislature to make Louisiana’s tax code simpler, flatter and more competitive, and this ranking shows the results,” Landry said in a statement. “Louisiana now has the best-ranked individual income tax of any state that levies one, and we rank ahead of Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama. We intend to keep building on that progress.” While Louisiana’s income tax rates have been lowered and business taxes have been reduced, the state does have the highest combined local and state sales tax rate at 10.11%, according to the Tax Foundation’s latest rankings. But the Tax Foundation ranks Louisiana’s individual income tax rate as the ninth most competitive in the nation and the state’s corporate income tax as the 10th most competitive. “Our historic tax reform put more than $1 billion back into the pockets of our state’s workers,” Secretary of Revenue Jarrod J. Coniglio said. “That’s a win for Louisiana families.” Landry said Louisiana’s new tax laws have triggered an economic development boom. The state added 36,000 jobs in the past year, reaching a record 2.02 million in September, the latest data available. That’s the second-fastest job growth in the nation led by construction job growth at 13.5% in the third quarter, more than double that of any other southern state. Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1. This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana climbs Tax Foundation rankings amidst surge in job growth Reporting by Greg Hilburn, Shreveport Times / Shreveport Times USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect ...read more read less