ST. GABRIEL — Starting Jan. 1, the state will see an increase in sales tax and some communities will see a higher tax than others.

The University Club Center Economic Development District in St. Gabriel will have a sales tax load of nearly 13% when local and state sales taxes are added together. 

Aiden Hebert, a manager at Anytime Fitness in the district, said this can affect the community. He said the gym has more than 1,000 members and he is concerned that the increase could affect the volume of customers.

“Obviously there’s things outside of our control that we can’t control. I can foresee it being a factor, but we can only do our due diligence by providing value to the community,” said Hebert.

He said he doesn't want the increase to play a role in members achieving a healthy lifestyle.

“We want to be able to say, 'Okay, if we gotta pay these taxes, let's try and bring as much value as we can to make it make sense for people',” said Hebert.

Hebert said they are already coming up with a game plan to navigate the change.

“We’re going to waive the enrollment fee, that way you don’t have to worry about like upfront costs being too much. We want to get people in here and help as many people as possible," said Hebert. "The best way we can serve the community is say 'Hey, we’re going to cut it down and get you in here and get you healthy.'"

Hebert said his team is optimistic the gym will continue seeing a steady flow of members even beyond the New Year's resolution rush.