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Robin Armstrong

I had the pleasure of sharing a podium last night with Robin Armstrong, vice chairman of the Texas Republican Party. We were speaking at an event in Horseshoe Bay (Llano County). A practicing physcian (and a fellow graduate of Texas A&M), Robin has risen quickly...

Pitt$ Fiscal Hypocrisy

State Rep. Jim Pitts should be ashamed of his bald-faced hypocrisy. Jim Pitts is saying tonight that he is voting against the budget on the grounds that it represents an irresponsible jump in state spending, and criticizes it for being laden with pork. This begs a...

Who in the Fred Hill is being represented?

For Texas taxpayers, the record of State Rep. Fred Hill (R-Richardson) adds up to higher taxes. The Dallas Morning News is reporting in today’s edition that residents in Mr. Hill’s home county of Dallas had a “sharp increase” in property tax appraisals –...

Senate Passes Spending Transparency Legislation

  Late last night the Texas Senate unanimously passed House Bill 3430, which gives Texas' taxpayers the ability to monitor spending and ensure tax dollars are being well-spent. This legislation marks a great milestone for fiscal accountability in Texas and across...

Senate (Finally) Passes TIF Tax Repeal

The Senate this evening finally passed House Bill 735, legislation that represents one of the largest tax cuts in Texas history. The House version had the tax cut going into effect immediately, but the Senate opted to keep taking the tax for one more year. This is a...

No Tax Reform, But An Industry Blooms

Remember the campaign promises for property tax relief? Seen your latest property tax bill? The rates are going down (a little, because of the 2006 tax swap), but the bills are going up (a lot, thanks to appraisal creep).  Six days remain in the legislative...

That ticking sound from Austin

With just 10 days left in the legislative session, time is running out. On the one hand, that is a good thing – less time for bad things to get done. On the other, it’s less time for good things to be accomplished. Either way, the clock is ticking. Here are some...

Texas House turns tax cut into spending increase

I've never seen anything quite like it. The Texas House today turned a $2.5 billion tax cut (H.B. 2785) into a $4.4 billion spending increase! Texans now know that too many legislators – Republicans and Democrats – are more interested in growing the size of...

Your Tax Relief On Life Support

It's hard to believe I'm even having to write this: but your only shot at getting even a little bit of honest property tax relief is on life support, and hours away from death. Please call your legislator today and ask them to demand that House Bill 2785 come up for a...