The benefits and costs of changing the state tax code can now be estimated by a dynamic computer program, developed for the Foundation by the Beacon Hill Institute. Texas-STAMP provides highly detailed information about the effects of specific tax changes on various aspects of the state economy over a five year period. Accessed over the Internet, Texas-STAMP will be used in the halls of the Capitol as legislators debate tax proposals, such as increases in the sales tax, property tax reduction and the introduction of a business activity tax. Texas-STAMP is the centerpiece of the multi-faceted, comprehensive research initiative on school finance that the Foundation began in 2003.
Don’t Fence Me In: Tourism’s Role in Rural Economic Development
Editor’s Note: This is the latest part of a series on rural Texas and the challenges that rural Texans face. Over the next year, the Associated News Service will delve into the issues facing the Lone Star State’s 177 (out of 254) rural counties. AMARILLO—If you want to fall in love all over again with...