Economy
Uber Does More than Save Lives
Uber’s presence in an urban area decreased the rate of criminal & disorderly conduct arrests
June 30, 2016
Property Rights
San Antonio reins in aggressive forced annexation plans
In a recent press conference, the City of San Antonio (a city well-known for its propensity towards expansive annexation projects) announced that, after extensive study and analysis, officials would radically scale back its annexation plans.
June 28, 2016
Economy
20 state lawmakers file amicus brief on plastic bag ban case
On Tuesday, almost two-dozen Members of the Texas Legislature filed an amicus brief in support of the Laredo Merchants Association’s legal challenge to the City of Laredo’s plastic bag ban. A number of Texas cities either have or are considering similar restrictions.
June 23, 2016
Economy
Why we’re suing Austin
On Friday, the Texas Public Policy Foundation took aim at the City of Austin’s tragically flawed short-term rental (STR) ordinance, filing suit in Travis County District Court. Suing the city is not a decision that was made in haste; it was determined to be absolutely necessary to protect Austinites’ property rights, economic liberties, and the basic freedoms of privacy and movement taken for granted by most Texans.
June 20, 2016
Taxes & Spending
Quintero: Property tax hearings reinforce the hunger for real reform
Are your property taxes too high? Are they not only high, but growing fast too? Shouldn’t there be some sort of protection against being taxed out of your home? Those are just some of the questions raised by the Texas Senate’s Select Committee on Property Tax Reform & Relief in a series of recent interim...
June 9, 2016
Taxes & Spending
ICYMI: Pension debt reaches near $61 B
The key to solving Texas’ pension problems hinge on eliminating this outdated, unworkable system and transitioning to a defined contribution model, a type of retirement program that is both sustainable and reliable for all involved.
June 7, 2016
Economy
ICYMI: Experts discuss ridesharing regulations
Are city governments suffocating ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft with too much red tape? That was one of the many questions asked at last week’s local government forum, Is Big Government Driving Out Ridesharing?, featuring Senator Don Huffines, Austin City Councilmember Ellen Troxclair, the R Street Institute’s Josiah Neeley, and the Travis County Democratic Party’s Joe Deshotel.
May 2, 2016
Economy
A solution to our public pension problem
Moody’s pegged state and local governments’ unfunded liabilities at roughly the same amount, bringing the total U.S. pension shortfall to 40% of GDP.
May 2, 2016
Taxes & Spending
SAISD pay hike a bad idea
The district’s decision to arbitrarily raise its minimum hourly wage from $10 to $12 — a 20 percent pay raise not based on merit — comes at a difficult time for SAISD, which is not only struggling with soaring debt but is also seeing its student population slowly disappear.
April 27, 2016
Taxes & Spending
How to reduce your property tax liability
Last November, voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment passed by the Texas Legislature that increased the homestead exemption for property taxes supporting school districts by $10,000 to $25,000. This helps to provide welcome tax relief in a state that has the 14th most burdensome property tax system in the nation.
April 25, 2016
Taxes & Spending
Midlanders, Texans face mounting state, local debt
This rising red ink must be stopped before stressing families and wrecking the economy with higher taxes, especially at a time of potential bond credit downgrades and an uncertain economic future.
April 17, 2016
Economy
ICYMI: Amicus Brief filed in local liberty case
Regardless of the court’s decision, one thing is clear: cities are subject to the rule of law, and must be held accountable.
April 4, 2016