NEWS
Rep. Paxton Files Amendment to Allow Governor to Reduce Wasteful Spending
Today, State Rep. Ken Paxton filed a proposed constitutional amendment (House Joint Resolution 46) that would give the Governor authority to cut wasteful spending in the budget. Currently, the Constitution allows the Governor to exercise a line item veto over individual budget items.
Taxpayers urged to contact lawmakers
AUSTIN, Texas – More than 29,000 households in eight senatorial districts are receiving mail about the importance returning Texas’ record budget surplus to taxpayers. The president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility said taxpayers deserve to see further tax relief at the top of the Legislature’s priorities.
“There are many in Austin arguing that programs, agencies and bureaucracies ‘deserve’ those funds first, with taxpayers lucky to get any leftovers,†said Michael Quinn Sullivan. “Too often the voices of hard-working Texans are drowned out by the shrill demands of special interests seeking more from the taxpayers’ wallet.â€
Rep. Hughes Files Bill to Shine the Light on State Agency Expenditures
Today, State Rep. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) filed House Bill 640 to require all state agencies to post a list of their expenditures online. The bill states:
Each state agency that maintains a generally accessible Internet site or for which a generally accessible Internet site is maintained shall post on the site all expenditures made by the agency. The posting must include the purpose for which each expenditure is made.
We applaud Rep. Hughes for filing this legislation, which was also part of Governor Rick Perry’s budget reform proposal. It is also important that each agency categorize and post expenditures in one, easy-to-understand format. Comptroller Susan Combs has expressed interest in working with the various state agencies to bring about a day when all agencies use the same codes to classify expenditures. This will foster efficiencies in administering and auditing programs that involve multiple state agencies.
Lubbock Paper Calls for Surplus to be Returned to Taxpayers
Once in a while the ma
instream media hits the nail on the head and such is the case with a staff editorial in today's Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. This piece enclosed below in no uncertain terms urges the Legislature to return the surplus to taxpayers. Further, it points to the folly of simply shifting taxes and argues that rather than raise other taxes to pay for further property tax relief, the Legislature should simply utilize the surplus – the amount by which Texans have overpaid in taxes.
It Stinks for Texans Sued by Their Appraisal District for Contesting Their Appraisals
The Houston C
hronicle has a disturbing piece about some Wharton County property taxpayers who find themselves as defendants in a lawsuit filed by their appraisal district after they successfully obtained reductions from the Appraisal Review Board (ARB). The chief of their appraisal district disagrees with the reductions made by the very people she appointed to the ARB so now she is hauling these taxpayers into district court, forcing them to incur legal fees in the process.
Governor Perry declares emergency on tax relief
 AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Governor Rick Perry today issued an emergency declaration on the issue of tax relief. Â
The president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Michael Quinn Sullivan, said lawmakers should view tax relief as their highest priority this session.Â
Only in Austin…
Governor Perry had a great line reported in the state's media outlets:
      "Only in Austin and Washington would returning $8 billion to citizens be considered spending."
That's a great point. The state's spending cap was called the "Texas Tax Relief Act," and was supported by an overwhelming vote of the people in a constitutional election. Most Texans probably assumed that if spending was kept under control, their taxes would be as well. It's doubtful any voter thought tax relief could be confused with spending, and it is reasonable to assume that they figured any overage would come back to them and not be used to grow government.
Dewhurst Questions Existence & Return of Surplus, But More Tax Cuts Now Can Help Avert Future Economic Slowdown
Speaking at a Capitol news conference yesterday, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said "We don't have a 14.3 billion dollar surplus." He asserted that "when you look at promised property tax cuts out to 2011, we're looking at a balanced budget with just a modest increase in our expenditures." Dewhurst made similar remarks today at the Legislative Budget Board meeting where the LBB set the constitutional spending limit, which based on projected personal income growth, will allow a 13.11 percent increase in general revenue expenditures for the 2008-09 biennium.
Conservative Leaders: Return the Surplus!
Leaders of seven conservative organizations today called on legislators to "return the certified surplus to Texas taxpayers."
Earlier this week the state's new Comptroller, Susan Combs, certified for legislative use a $14.3 billion surplus.
Signing the letters are the heads of: Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Texas Conservative Coaltion Research Institute, Texas Public Policy Foundation, National Federation of Independent Business, Free Market Foundation, Americans for Prosperity — Texas, and the Young Conservatives of Texas.
Return Surplus To The Taxpayer
Texas Comptroller Susan Combs today officially certified the state’s surplus at $14.3 billion. The president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Michael Quinn Sullivan, offered the following statement:
Remember the Taxpayer!
In responding to the official revenue estimate issued by Comptroller Susan Combs, Gov. Perry said, “This surplus should reinforce our commitment to the principles and policies that helped create it. State leaders must continue to be fiscally disciplined, we must continue to set clear but limited priorities, and we must remember that every expenditure affects not only those who receive a government service, but also the taxpayers who pay for it.â€
Taxpayers vs. Spending Addicts in Abilene
The Abilene Reporter-News has a revealing piece today discussing how Abilene taxpayers support revenue and appraisal caps while local officials are frightened by the prospect. The most eye-opening quote is:
Taylor County Commissioner Chuck Statler likened the county's situation to his personal budget at home: ''If your expenses continue to increase, why would you want to reduce your income?''