According to the Texas Comptroller, Texas is more than 300,000 housing units short of meeting the growth in population the state has been experiencing over the last decade. There are ways for the state government to intervene on behalf of the people to remove overburdensome regulations that have contributed to an artificial scarcity of homes. The purpose of SB 840 is to allow by right mixed-use residential and commercial zoning, which would make converting empty office spaces into housing units much easier. Converting offices into housing has a lower construction impact than new development because the structure and much of the infrastructure (e.g., electricity, plumbing, HVAC) are already in place. This, combined with other measures, would add to the housing supply and aid in bringing prices down to a more affordable range for consumers.
Taxes & Spending
An Overview of the Business Franchise Tax: 2023 – 2027
Texas’s business franchise tax is costly, complicated, and time-consuming to observe. Its negative and distortionary effects should motivate policymakers to eliminate it entirely. Key points: Because of the substantial costs, large and small business owners can often spend more on compliance than on paying the franchise tax itself. Phasing out or repealing the tax altogether...
June 25, 2026