Proposal exempts student-athletes from paying state income tax on NIL deals

The Louisiana Legislature is considering a handful of proposals this spring that would create tax breaks and new revenue avenues for college athletes and sports programs, Louisiana Illuminator reports. 

If passed, the legislative proposals would exempt college athletes from income taxes on their name, image and likeness deals and would create a new fund to give tax dollars to NCAA Division I athletics programs like LSU’s. 

Critics contend the Republican-backed proposals are doing something antithetical to their party’s free-market philosophy and argue the bills could further widen the divide—cultural and fiscal—between academics and athletics.

Read a roundup of the proposals.