State
Texas Law Enforcement Rids Border Island of Criminal Cartel Activity
This comes a year after Texas declared Fronton Island state property.
Analysis: Texans Are Already Taxed Like Kamala Harris Is in Charge
Is Texas’ property tax an unrealized gains tax?
Texas Sues Biden Admin Over Rule Classifying Gender Dysphoria as a Disability
Attorney General Ken Paxton and 16 other states are suing to stop a new regulation that would rewrite federal disability law to include gender dysphoria.
Hood County Commissioners Adopt No-New-Revenue Property Tax Rate
Officials in Galveston, Tarrant, and Lubbock counties also set property tax rates at or below the taxpayer-friendly no-new-revenue rate.
State Archive
House Votes to Stop Appraisal Districts from Suing Taxpayers
While little has been accomplished this session for taxpayers so far, some good news came today 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...
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,...
Super-Subsidize Me
 It's getting increasingly easy to get on the government gravy train. From movie studio execs to Ph.D. families, the hand-outs just don't end in this Republican-controlled legislature. Small government. Right... This week, the Texas Senate's Finance Committee is...
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...
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...
State, Texas Scorecard Podcasts
The Elephant In The Room
Take the Scissor to Big Government: Tuesday’s Blockbuster Hearing on Tax and Spending Limits
If you can come to the 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...
‘Cut and Run’ Republicans?
So the cut-and-run retreat of Republicans from conservative values and principles continued this week. While the modern French are widely known for a willingness to surrender before a battle is fought, it seems Republicans in the Texas House are even willing to...
Lower Than Expected Business Tax Revenues No Reason to Raise It
Comptroller Susan Combs this week estimated that the new state business tax on gross revenues would bring in $500 to $800 million less than expected. This estimate is based on voluntary submissions made by many affected businesses. However, many business, particularly...