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Property Taxes

A Bad Idea Turns Into A Nightmare

Businesses around the state are only now learning how much they are going to have to fork over to Austin under the new business tax — which is due one month from today. The picture isn’t pretty and the results could be disastrous; which translates into lost jobs.

Liberal Babble Makes Us Poor

Liberals are always looking for anything they can dress up as “facts” to fit the left-wing social-engineering schemes they’ve been promoting for decades. No different is a “study” released by two leftist activist groups that claims Texas has one of the worst “income gaps” in the nation… And their solution to close the gap is to kill the economy. Are there poor in Texas? Someone once said there will always be poor among us. But in Texas, the poor have great opportunities to be poor no more.

Can’t Count on Administrators

I had begun to feel a great sense of pride in my hometown over the last several months.  It seemed that Wimberley ISD – where I graduated High School in 2005 – was poised to do something I would never expect a bunch of educrats to do; stand up for taxpayers. 

Taxes Do Matter

People and jobs are fleeing high-tax states and states with income taxes. Where are they going? States with lower taxes and no income taxes. This is a trend that started in the 1990s, and is reflected yet again in 2007, as 20,000 per day shifted around the country. And for lawmakers in Texas who think we can coast by on our old reputation as being "open for business," they’d better think again — we have to fight to stay competitive.

Dallas News Highlights Random Unfairness of Property Taxes

The Dallas Morning News reports that only 7 percent of homeowners challenged their 2006 appraisals. Although 54 percent of protesters got some relief, Richard Whittle was denied when he challenged the increase of his one-story Garland house by 67 percent to $135,490 in 2006.

Those Calves Won’t Rope Themselves

One of the most significant taxpayer lawsuits in Texas’ history is about to go to jury-trial in Austin, but Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has thus far refused to be deposed — despite being a defendant in the case. While the office of Lt. Governor is a taxing one, it seems that as the head of the Legislative Budget Board charged with enforcing Texas’ spending limit, he might have time to explain why the state’s application of that limit has been, well, a little too generous with your money.

Getting It (Almost) Right

In a rare display of good sense, the Dallas Morning News almost gets it right in an editorial on the Legislature’s new business income tax. But in arguing against the creation of new loopholes and exmeptions, they write "this new tax needs time to work." In reality, the monstrosity needs to go away before it can do lasting damage to the economic credibility of the state.