As Texas officials force Texans to fund special deals with leftist corporations, Texas Scorecard reached out to all of the Republican candidates in the runoff election for the state Legislature to ask whether they would support ending the practice of corporate welfare.
Several leftist corporations receiving corporate welfare from the state—Apple, Facebook (now Meta), Ikea, Emerson, Microsoft—also signed a letter admonishing Texas for Attorney General Ken Paxton’s legal opinion that child gender mutilation is child abuse.
Notably, these direct payments of taxpayer cash or special perks such as tax exemptions do not allow the free market to determine which businesses succeed in Texas. Many small businesses were forced to close during the state-mandated COVID shutdowns, and it certainly seems misguided to fund large woke corporations to the detriment of smaller Texas businesses.
Senate District 24
Raul Reyes: “Yes, when elected, I will push to end corporate welfare and special favors given to select corporations.”
Pete Flores did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 12
Ben Bius: “Yes. When elected to the legislature, I will oppose corporate welfare and support efforts to end the practice. It is not the place of the government to pick winners and losers in a free-market economy.”
Kyle Kacal did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 17
Paul Pape: “I would support ending these incentives across the board. God knows that corporations are rushing to Texas because of our open-for-business attitude and free-market emphasis. Ending such ‘corporate welfare’ programs would help level the playing field for smaller, rural counties that don’t have as much to offer. It might actually encourage industrial and commercial development in District 17.”
Stan Gerdes did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 19
Ellen Troxclair: “In a world of finite resources, our taxpayer dollars would be better spent on property tax relief, reducing or eliminating the franchise tax, or on border security.”
Justin Berry did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 23
Terri Leo-Wilson: “My priorities for encouraging economic growth and creating jobs will center on reducing regulations and taxes, not picking winners and losers in the marketplace.”
Patrick Gurski did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 52
Caroline Harris: “We should not be picking winners and losers in the marketplace, we should prioritize strategies that lift everyone up, like cutting red tape and cutting and capping taxes.”
Patrick McGuinness: “I oppose corporate welfare, and I will work to defund government subsidies to corporations.”
House District 60
Mike Olcott: “Yes, I support ending corporate welfare in Texas. I do not believe that Texas taxpayer dollars should be used for such purposes. That is not the role of government. The Texas Legislature should continue to create an environment of low regulation and reduce the tax burden so that businesses should choose to move to Texas for those reasons—not government handouts.”
Glenn Rogers did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 61
Paul Chabot: “Yes. These tax favors to corporations need to end. We have families across Texas that cannot afford their skyrocketing property taxes, and that’s my priority as well. I propose that we allow homeowners to take an average of the previous five years and lock in that cost for life as long as they stay in their homes. Government needs to learn to live within its means and not on the backs of Texans getting crushed right now. Learn more at www.PaulChabot.com.”
Frederick Frazier did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 63
Jeff Younger: “End the Texas Enterprise Fund. The fund excludes small businesses by design. It is just corporate welfare that forces small businesses to fund their big, leftist competitors. Many of these companies censor conservatives and force critical race theory onto their employees. To incentivize businesses to locate in Texas: reduce overall taxation, eliminate unnecessary regulations, and reduce overhead expenses created by the government.”
Ben Bumgarner did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 70
Eric Bowlin: “I believe we must end corporate welfare in Texas and let the free market run its course. At the moment, Texas governments are far too willing to shell out millions in taxpayer dollars to boost corporations’ pocketbooks. The practice pits government against government and causes millions in taxpayer dollars to be spent. We all know that government rarely exercises fiscal restraint in the midst of competition with other governments, which is unacceptable and must end.
“I believe we can attract new jobs and businesses to our state without further burdening the taxpayers by ending corporate welfare and reforming our tax system to create an environment where every business can thrive in our state.”
Jamee Jolly did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 73
Carrie Isaac: “As a free-market conservative, I am not supportive of subsidies and corporate welfare. On the other hand, my opponent loves corporate welfare; as mayor of New Braunfels, he shut down businesses, parks, and churches during COVID-19 while his family law firm, which includes a taxpayer-funded lobbyist, raked in hundreds of thousands of our tax dollars in bailout money.
“Not only have handouts brought woke companies to Texas, but the property tax exemptions and credits for wind and solar have eroded our electric reliability while increasing costs. I repeatedly visit with voters that can’t afford their skyrocketing property taxes and are losing their homes, and their rising utility bills are making matters worse.”
Barron Casteel did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 84
David Glasheen: “Yes, I oppose taxpayer funds being used against the interests of us—the taxpayers—through corporate welfare schemes or otherwise.”
Carl Tepper did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 85
Phil Stephenson: “The notion of stimulating corporations to relocate to Texas is something of an old-fashioned idea. At this stage, the state is a lure to any enterprise and really doesn’t need tax favors. Further, after watching the tragedy that befell small businesses during the pandemic, and all the governmental inequities associated with the shutdown, I would say it’s time to say no to corporate welfare. At this point, the playing field is dramatically slanted against the little guy. The marriage of big government and big business has proven that it is hostile to the survival of the middle class. Get rid of it before it gets rid of us.”
Stan Kitzman did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 91
David Lowe: “Yes. I oppose corporate welfare. Handing the hard-earned dollars of taxpayers over to left-wing corporations does nothing to protect the life, liberty, or property of Texans. It’s past time for the government to stop picking winners and losers and to start respecting free-market principles.”
Stephanie Klick did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 93
Neither Laura Hill nor Nate Schatzline responded to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 122
Neither Mark Dorazio nor Elisa Chan responded to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
House District 133
Shelley Torian Barineau: “Texas should not be picking corporate winners and losers, gambling with the taxpayer’s hard-earned money. Instead, we should foster the best economic conditions in the nation for corporations to thrive. Low taxes, fair regulatory oversight, and the best-educated labor force should drive business to Texas, not corporate welfare.”
Mano DeAyala did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s inquiry.
