Louisiana State Treasurer Continues Efforts to Expand Payment Options for Taxpayers Including Digital Wallets and Cryptocurrencies

Louisiana – On September 30, 2022, State Treasurer John M. Schroder complimented the efforts of several agencies presenting the technological aspects of their revenue collections to the Louisiana Digital Assets Task Force this week but said there’s still much room for improvement in the state’s collective technology space.

“We have got to make Louisiana more user-friendly for the taxpayers,” he said. “This is about giving people the flexibility to pay in whatever way is most convenient for them.”

The committee, chaired by Representative Mark Wright, reviewed processing, software, security, operational costs once adopted, and expenses required for state agencies to begin accepting payments from vendors such as Venmo and PayPal. Fees and whether or not the state should or would absorb them were also considered.

“How do we become better as a state at providing opportunities and convenience for our taxpayers?” Schroder asked. “My kids are in their 30s. They don’t have checkbooks. Never in their lifetimes have they owned checkbooks.”

According to the Department of Revenue, electronic payments, such as credit cards, debit cards, and bank electronic transfers, are gradually expanding. The number of actual transactions increased from 600,000 in FY19 to 2 million in FY21. According to Revenue Secretary Kevin Richard, the average yearly collection is $10 billion, with less than $1 billion received in paper form. Two federal presentations on the status of bitcoin prompted committee members to stress that the current debate is not about whether the state may accept, collect, or invest in cryptocurrencies. Rather, the committee is investigating whether the state can accept those funds once an outside entity converts cryptocurrencies into US dollars.

When it was mentioned that taxpayers have little desire to pay using cryptocurrency, Schroder responded, “What if we acted like entrepreneurs rather than reactionaries? Let’s create the demand. I would love nothing more than to promote Louisiana as a state embracing such technology.”