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Taxes & Spending

Annexation is taxation without representation

It’s time to end forced annexation by giving affected property owners a chance to vote. Only by giving them a voice in the process can we live up to our founding principles.

July 31, 2017
Taxes & Spending

A Matter of Priorities: San Marcos’ $55,000 Mermaid Statutes

Texas’ property tax burden is enormous. In 2015, more than 4,100 local taxing entities soaked taxpayers for $52.2 billion in property taxes. That’s enough to ding every man, woman, and child in Texas for $1,900 or cost a family of four about $8,000. Most agree that the burden is too high, but attempts at easing...

July 26, 2017
Taxes & Spending

A Matter of Priorities: San Antonio’s $200,000 Stainless Steel Porta Potty

Texas’ property tax burden is enormous. In 2015, more than 4,100 local taxing entities soaked taxpayers for $52.2 billion in property taxes. That’s enough to ding every man, woman, and child in Texas for $1,900 or cost a family of four about $8,000. Most agree that the burden is too high, but attempts at easing...

July 25, 2017
Taxes & Spending

A Matter of Priorities: Austin Water’s Disastrous Ad Campaign

Texas’ property tax burden is enormous. In 2015, more than 4,100 local taxing entities soaked taxpayers for $52.2 billion in property taxes. That’s enough to ding every man, woman, and child in Texas for $1,900 or cost a family of four about $8,000. Most agree that the burden is too high, but attempts at easing...

July 24, 2017
Taxes & Spending

A Matter of Priorities: Austin’s $15,000 Program to Embed Artists in City Departments

Texas’ property tax burden is enormous. In 2015, more than 4,100 local taxing entities soaked taxpayers for $52.2 billion in property taxes. That’s enough to ding every man, woman, and child in Texas for $1,900 or cost a family of four about $8,000. Most agree that the burden is too high, but attempts at easing...

July 21, 2017
Taxes & Spending

Progress Texas Gets it Wrong on Local Control

The far left group Progress Texas is upset that the Texas Legislature looks poised to rein in out-of-control local governments. Here’s what they wrote yesterday: The Republican-led Legislature will step up its efforts to pre-empt decisions of local voters on issues ranging from local taxes to tree protection, bathroom use, annexation and driving while texting....

July 20, 2017
Taxes & Spending

A Matter of Priorities: Cities Spend Millions to Lobby Against Taxpayers

Texas’ property tax burden is enormous. In 2015, more than 4,100 local taxing entities soaked taxpayers for $52.2 billion in property taxes. That’s enough to ding every man, woman, and child in Texas for $1,900 or cost a family of four about $8,000. Most agree that the burden is too high, but attempts at easing...

July 20, 2017
Taxes & Spending

A Matter of Priorities: Houston’s $260 k Showers

Putting reasonable restraints on the growth of Texas’ property tax will not harm public safety, but it may force local governments to better prioritize their budgets and stop spending like drunken sailors. And that’s something we should all support.

July 19, 2017
Economy

Special session may be a good investment for Texans

Citizens usually dread when their elected representatives gather to pass new laws because the result is usually higher taxes, more regulations and less freedom, but the upcoming special session provides a unique opportunity for the Texas Legislature to move in the direction of liberty and opportunity. That would be an investment well worth making.

July 18, 2017
K-12 Education

Spending More Won’t Solve School Finance or Property Tax Flaws in Texas

The 85th Texas Legislature rightfully discussed reforms to fundamentally flawed government problems of school finance and property taxes during the 2017 regular session. Texans demand action in these areas because they have long been saddled with poor education outcomes and an overly burdensome property tax system, which ranks 14th highest nationwide. While legislators weren’t able...

July 11, 2017
Property Rights

New Poll: Texans Overwhelmingly Support Property Tax Reform

Texans of every ideological persuasion want legislators to rein in local governments’ ability to raise property taxes, according to the latest poll from the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune. According to the poll’s results, which are based on an “internet survey of 1,200 registered voters [that] was conducted from June 2 to June...

June 20, 2017
Taxes & Spending

What Do Texans Want Most from the Legislature?

In poll after poll, voters across the Lone Star State all place a premium on finding a fix to Texas’ broken property tax system. Take the latest poll from the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune for example. In February, the two organizations surveyed 1,200 registered voters statewide and asked the following: Which of...

May 24, 2017
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