According to a Dall
as Business Journal article , the owners of several Dallas-area shopping centers, including Highland Park Village and Preston Trail Plaza, are suing the Dallas Central Appraisal District and the Dallas Appraisal Review Board, saying the method the entities use to calculate tax appraisals violates the Texas Constitution.
Mlevin
Texas Hotel Taxes Enough to Make You Lose Sleep
F
ound this revealing tidbit on the Austin American-Statesman's entertainment pages:Â
Those hotel occupancy taxes in Texas’ big cities are so high they’ll give you a nosebleed. Example: My $279 stay at the lovely Granduca Hotel in Houston a few days ago carried $46.93 in occupancy tax: That’s 6 percent for the great State of Texas, 7 percent for the city, 2 percent for Harris County and another 2 percent for the Houston-Harris County Sports Authority, the entity that builds stadiums.
Good Day Sunshine: Comptroller Posts State Expenditures Online
She's no lazy Susan. Comptroller Susan Combs has gotten a head start on implementing House Bill 3430 requiring all state agencies to post their expenditures online. The Comptroller's newly unveiled site reveals expenditures for nearly 200 agencies and institutions under broad categories such as salaries, travel and supplies.
Senate Leaders Won’t Answer Taxpayers’ Calls
When the moderate to liberal editorial board of the San Antonio Express-News 
blasts ostensibly conservative Republican Senate leaders for not getting rid of an outrageous tax, something is seriously wrong in Austin. That is what happened earlier this week.
House Votes to Stop Appraisal Districts from Suing Taxpayers
While little has been accomplished this session for taxpayers so far, some good news came tod
ay when the House unanimously passed HB3490 which will prevent appraisal districts from suing property taxpayers when they win their appeal before the Appraisal Review Board (ARB). This common sense measure, which was triggered by a recent Wharton County case, that protects taxpayers from government-funded lawsuits when they have already won their case will now go to the Senate. The bill only applies if the value of the property is less than $1 million.
House Passes an Appraisal Relief Bill – Will the Senate Follow?
Last week, the Texas House finally passed a piece of property tax relief 
legislation, voting in favor of HB216 by Rep. John Otto (R-Dayton) by a margin of 87-53. This bill allows appraisal districts a margin of error of 10 percent, instead of the current 5 percent, in appraising properties. While the Texas Constitution prohibits a statewide appraisal, the Comptroller's Property Value Study (PVS) is used to reduce school equalization funds to districts taht are below 5 percent in the sample of properties evaluated by the PVS.
Pauken Tries to Push Property Tax Relief Up the Hill
The Tyler Morning Telegraph has a revealing story today (see link or below) in 
which Tom Pauken, the chair of the Governor's Property Tax Reform Task Force, is quoted stating how disappointed he is with the lack of progress so far. He speaks candidly about what he sees as the primary obstacle to significant protections to control skyrocketing appraisals: Representative Fred Hill, Chairman of the House Local Ways and Means Committee. Referring to Hill as "hard-headed," Pauken notes that Hill has so far blocked all but the most cosmetic reforms.Â
Senator Patrick Goes to Bat for Taxpayers – Identifies Nearly $3 Billion in Spending Cuts to Save Taxpayers’ Money
Senator Dan Patrick has once again demonstrated that he is not afraid to 
rock the boat in order to stand up for taxpayers.  He not only voted against a $152 billion Senate budget ($2 billion more than the House version) but further listed over $2.9 billion in specific cuts he would make.   This is a gutsy move on behalf of taxpayers. His proposed cuts appear below.  Of course, there are arguments that some of these programs are within the legitimate role of government and deserve funding, but Senator Patrick is right on target and, at the very least, these cuts should have been debated. Â
Take the Scissor to Big Government: Tuesday’s Blockbuster Hearing on Tax and Spending Limits
If you can come to th
e Capitol only once this session, tomorrow Tuesday, April 10 is a great day to do it. Vitally important legislation to limit the growth in government will be heard by the House Appropriations Committee beginning at 12:30 in Capitol Extension Room 1.030.
Pork in the State Budget?
The McA
llen Monitor reported that the new $150 billion House budget for the 2008-09 biennium includes some arguably pork barrel expenditures – most of those mentioned are earmarks for projects in the Rio Grande Valley. Among the taxpayer-funded projects mentioned are: