This commentary first appeared in the Midland Reporter-Telegram on August 6, 2017. Gov. Abbott's Special Session Agenda Put Students, Teachers First by texaspolicy on Scribd
While Austin has grown in recent years, its government is growing far more rapidly, and residents—new and native—are faced with drastically increasing costs, exhausting the ability of some to start, or continue, calling this city home. Some of this was on display recently when Austin officials released the city’s proposed budget for FY 2017-18. Early...
Texas has a property tax problem. The Lone Star State currently imposes the sixth highest effective property tax rate in the nation, and in 2015 alone, more than 4,100 local taxing entities soaked taxpayers for $52.2 billion in property taxes. That’s enough to take $1,900 from every man, woman, and child in Texas or about $8,000 from...
This commentary was originally featured in Breitbart on August 9, 2017. Though the new budget hasn’t been finalized yet, an early draft recommends raising taxes and fees by almost five percent, meaning many could soon find themselves paying a lot more for city services. Already, city government costs the average Austinite $3,865 annually. Under the...
This commentary was originally featured in Forbes on August 8, 2017. States With the Highest Rate of Opioid Overdose Deaths in 2014 Earlier this year the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report that suggested a significant number of opioid related deaths were incorrectly attributed to pneumonia and other infectious diseases...
This commentary was originally featured in Investor's Business Daily on August 4, 2017. Medicaid was originally intended as a health insurance plan for those "unable to support" their health care needs, specifically children, pregnant women, seniors and the disabled. Eligibility was gradually and subtly expanded so by 2010 Medicaid was made available to the unable...
2017 08 02 Testimony Eliminating Rising Property Tax Burden HB285 CFP VanceGinn by texaspolicy on Scribd
Texas has a property tax problem. The Lone Star State currently imposes the sixth highest effective property tax rate in the nation, and in 2015 alone, more than 4,100 local taxing entities soaked taxpayers for $52.2 billion in property taxes. That’s enough to take $1,900 from every man, woman, and child in Texas or about $8,000 from...
Property tax reformers scored a big win on Friday when the House Ways and Means committee voted 8 – 1 to advance House Bill 4, a proposal to reduce the rollback tax rate and require an automatic election for large local governments wanting to increase their budgets by more. That pair of structural reforms is...
Over the long-term, lawmakers should be thinking about how to achieve the ultimate prosperity-generating reform: the elimination of property taxes entirely.
The answer to all of these arguments is as simple as it is proper: it is not the role of the government to act as the middleman and dues collector for private organizations, including unions. Prohibiting the government from acting as a dues-collector for unions, or other organizations, puts both government and unions in their proper place.
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.