Prohibiting the Issuance of Capital Appreciation Bonds

March 20, 2013

The Honorable Chuck DeVore

Chuck DeVore is the vice president of national initiatives at the Foundation. He writes about the economy and how energy, tax and regulatory policies influence general prosperity, and he frequently appears on Fox News. He also guides the Foundation’s growing national work in criminal justice reform. He authored the book The Texas Model: Prosperity in the Lone Star State and Lessons for America.

SB 449 would prohibit Texas' local governments from issuing capital appreciation bonds, an exotic type of municipal bond that defers payment of principal and interest for many years, sometimes decades, putting in jeopardy future taxpayers.

View Full Publication

Bigger in Texas: Sizing Up the State’s Finances

Every even-numbered year, the state’s Legislative Budget Board (LBB) publishes a helpful, user-friendly summation of the General Appropriations Act (GAA), otherwise known as the state’s two-year budget. On Wednesday, the LBB published the next iteration—its 2024-25 Fiscal Size-Up. From a 30,000 ft. level, this new report provides “a comprehensive review of how tax dollars were...

August 2, 2024

Taxes & Spending

Assessing Tax Trends in the City of Ft. Worth

Does history suggest that property taxes are too high in the city of Ft. Worth? And, if so, have local decision-makers actively helped or hurt the situation? To help answer these questions, let’s review the city’s 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and gather four types of data—i.e., tax levies, local population, total tax rates, and taxable values—over a 10-year time horizon. Using these audited estimates, we can gauge the growth of government (i.e., tax levy trends), assess its...

February 19, 2026

Taxes & Spending

Assessing Tax Trends in the City of Austin

Does history suggest that property taxes are too high in the city of Austin? And, if so, have local decision-makers actively helped or hurt the situation? To help answer these questions, let’s review the city’s 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and gather four types of data—i.e., tax levies, local population, total tax rates, and taxable values—over a 10-year time horizon. Using these audited estimates, we can gauge the growth of government (i.e., tax levy trends), assess its reasonability...

February 19, 2026

The Honorable Chuck DeVore

Related content

Bigger in Texas: Sizing Up the State’s Finances

Assessing Tax Trends in the City of Ft. Worth

Assessing Tax Trends in the City of Austin