Louisiana Halts Tax-Free Shopping for International Visitors

International travelers coming to Louisiana to buy such local rarities as pralines, voodoo dolls, and preserved American alligator heads will lose their tax-free shopping privileges at the end of the month.

The Louisiana Tax Free Shopping Program for International Visitors, or LTFS, will be permanently shuttered July 1 under a law enacted last year. The program has offered tax-free shopping to international customers at more than 900 shops since 1988. An analysis by Louisiana’s Legislative Fiscal Office estimated the state was paying out refunds of between $250,000 and $600,000 annually.

Texas is the only other state with a ...