School districts around the state are crying poverty — and hiking your taxes. But just like the studies showing how many welfare recipients own DVD players, cell phones and late-model cars, we would be wise as taxpayers to start demanding a little cleaner view of how school districts are spending the money they already get.

A new report by the Rockefeller Institute finds that, while other states are sagging, Texas sales tax revenues are up 12 percent from last July through March and the Comptroller is predicting a $10.7 billion surplus. Thus, the national economic slowdown, which has reduced revenues in some states, will not be an excuse for failing to deliver property tax relief.

At a Senate hearing yesterday, Dallas officials called for sales price disclosure. This would raise appraisal values, resulting in $4 billion in additional school property taxes plus billions more in other local property taxes. As the new Texas GOP platform declares, school property taxes should be abolished, but disclosure without a revenue cap would be disastrous.

Dallas County is facing a budget shortfall of $20 to $30 million, largely because they have gotten used to increasing spending at double-digit rates, but for the first time in years, appraisal increases didn’t quite keep up. Commissioners are looking for savings, and among them are stopping personal misuse of county cars and switching from fuel-hogging Ford Crown Victorias to Ford Fusions.

With the Texas GOP platform on deck this weekend, the Texas Democratic Party has posted their new platform. It does not address taxes except claiming that current state taxes favor big over small business, but includes items such as universal government health care and a new “global marketing program” at the Texas Dept. of Agriculture that would surely require more government revenue.

For decades the school property tax that funds “maintenance and operations” has been causing troubles for taxpayers — skyrocketing burdens, lawsuits and confusion. Legislators, taxpayers, school boards and judges have all taken cracks at reforming a system that is fundamentally irreparable. Now a group of legislators are looking to do something about it: end the system and replace it.

The business tax may not have long to live. Apparently the state’s lieutenant governor, David Dewhurst, rattled a rather formidable saber last week at a business group meeting in Austin, saying he’d like to consider a repeal of the gross margins tax passed in 2006. According to an online news service, Dewhurst is quoted as saying he frustrated by the “lack of benefit” in terms of property tax relief. This is welcome news.

On June 15th, Texas business will have to fork over a big of chunk of change to fill state coffers. Some 84 percent of Texas small businesses will see their tax burdens increase by more than 100 percent over their previous franchise tax bill, with more than 40 percent seeing a spike of over 500 perccent.