State
Rep. Slaton Endorses Rep. Tinderholt for Texas House Speaker
“Rep. Tinderholt is committed to ending [Democrat] committee chairs and fighting for our GOP priorities.”
Three Strikes—You’re Out!
Will Robert “Beto” O’Rourke leave Texas politics?
Republicans Won in Texas. Will Their Priorities?
The GOP maintains control of statewide government, raising questions on whether the priorities of the party’s grassroots will be passed or ignored.
Dawn Buckingham Cruises to Win in Land Commissioner Race
Buckingham will replace outgoing commissioner George P. Bush.
State Archive
Taxpayers Deserve to be Paid Back
Corpus Christi's KRIS television reported this week that the Nueces County Hospital District is asking the Legislature to pass a bill that will allow them to recover money on behalf of taxpayers when those who receive "indigent" care later receive an insurance...
Governor promotes taxpayer protection
AUSTIN, Texas – In his State of the State Address, Texas Governor Rick Perry today proposed a strong new constitutional protection for the state’s taxpayers. The measure would limit the growth in state spending to a rolling, three-year average of inflation and...
Extreme Property Taxes Cause Texas to Lead Nation in Home Foreclosures – Breaking the Backs and Dreams of Ordinary Texans
In case anyone thought the revolt against skyrocketing property taxes is just coming from mostly white middle class suburbs, the Brownsville Herald carries a powerful staff editorial today denouncing the recent seizure of 250 local homes and businesses because owners...
Hang Up on the Texas Telephone Tax
Not including the new margin tax surcharge from Sprint, Texans already paid 18 percent of their telephone bill in government taxes and fees. That's outrageous. Why shouldn't the same sales tax apply to telephone bills as to every other purchase? Now, the...
Sprinting To A New Tax
My Sprint cellphone bill arrived today, featuring a brand new fee: The Texas Margin Fee Reimbursement. This is Sprint's attempt to make visible the new business tax implemented by the Texas Legislature last sprint. Some in the legislature are crying foul, but Sprint...
Governor’s budget proposals will promote accountability, transparency
AUSTIN, Texas – Gov. Rick Perry today proposed four key budget reforms designed to promote fiscal responsibility. Michael Quinn Sullivan, president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, praised the proposals, saying they shine more sunlight on the state’s finances....
Who in Austin is Concerned About Taxpayers? Who Won’t Mention Them?
A central purpose of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility is to give taxpayers a voice in Austin in the face of the powerful forces that lobby for more spending. Is there a way to determine whether fiscally conservative organizations or groups that advocate more...
˜Local Control’ Poor Excuse For High Taxes
Local bureaucrats and their Austin apologists have found the ‘local control’ religion, but only as a convenient foil against taxpayer protection. Fearful that their days of unrestricted access to taxpayers’ wallets might soon draw to an end, we suddenly find them...
You Can Vote Today to Return the Surplus
In a matter of months, your legislator will hopefully, after hearing from you, vote to return the surplus to taxpayers. However, you can vote today in an online poll sponsored by the Houston Business Journal which asks respondents how the Texas surplus should be...