Good news, everyone: More than a billion human beings no longer suffer the miseries of “extreme poverty” — a level below sustenance for necessities such as food and shelter. “Poverty around the world is plummeting; half the world is now middle class; and illiteracy, disease and deadly violence are receding,” according to Wall Street Journal...
The rural areas surrounding Beijing get cold during the winter, with an average low of 15 degrees Fahrenheit in January. To cope with the daily chill, millions of farmers and laborers have burned coal to keep warm. But the coal—especially coal burned in a home furnace—came at the cost of air pollution, not only in...
As reported by Texas Scorecard, the board for the Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) voted last week to end a longstanding, taxpayer-funded contract with HillCo Partners, an Austin-based lobbying group that also advocates on behalf of many other local governing bodies, including the city of Houston. Harris County Department of Education Board Members argued...
The Certificates of Obligation Act of 1971 allows some governmental entities—like cities, counties, and certain special districts—to issue debt without voter approval to fund any public project. More specifically, certificates of obligation (COs) can be used “to fund the construction, demolition, or restoration of structures; purchase materials, supplies, equipment, machinery, buildings, land and rights of...
Competition is the cornerstone of our society. Because of forward-thinking disruptors like Amazon, all retailers have had to step up their game. As manufacturers compete to make the best product, our “phones” have transformed from corded wall devices to pocket-size mini-computers within a generation. Competition makes products better and we – the consumers – benefit....
There are seven states with no tax on any personal income: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. According to a recently updated National Center for Education Statistics projection, the eight states expected to see the highest growth in public and charter school enrollment in the 12 years from 2015 through 2027 are:...
The El Campo Leader News reports that the Commissioners Court this week rejected the effort of a proposed wind farm to get Chapter 312 tax abatements from the residents of Wharton County: The Wharton County Commissioners Court unanimously decided not to move forward with a 312 tax abatement application from Wharton Wind, LLC during its...
The start of 2019 has our families and yours determining budget priorities. If you look at your budget, you get a good understanding of what you prioritize most. This also happens with the state’s budget. Let’s review the legislative priorities set by the Texas House and Texas Senate in their recently proposed recommended budgets and...
“The Texas occupational licensure regime, predominantly impeding Texans of modest means, can seem a hodge-podge of disjointed, logic-defying irrationalities, where the burdens imposed seem almost farcical, forcing many lower-income Texans to face a choice: submit to illogical bureaucracy or operate an illegal business?” Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willett in Patel v. Texas Department of Licensing and Registration. The Commission to...
Traffic enforcement is a hoax. There, I said it. Well, maybe it is not a hoax—we do actually do it after all—but it is not what it appears to be. It is a tax, more or less, without the political stigma such a term brings with it. It is time to change that. While Right on Crime does not often...
Which state most strongly supports freedom and prosperity? Texas, of course. That’s why people are flocking to the Lone Star State – which has gained better than 1,000 new residents per day, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. We gladly welcome these refugees from high-tax states like New York and Illinois, but we need to...
Lobbyists are in Austin now to protect massive tax breaks that local governments give to businesses. According to the Austin American-Statesman, “One of the major programs — allowing local governments to enter into so-called Chapter 312 agreements to abate property taxes — must be reauthorized by lawmakers in 2019 if it is to continue,” . “A...