Where’s the money?
What to know: Texas has recently increased funding for public education and charter grants by nearly $8.5 billion. Despite this, teachers warn that the spending might not be enough to meet challenges facing public education.
The TPPF take: State spending must come with rigorous financial accountability.
“Texans expect their hard-earned tax dollars to go towards providing students with a quality education, not to merely employ adults or line the pockets of outside consultants and contractors,” says TPPF’s Matthew McCormick.
Roots and Regulations
What to know: The President is floating cutting the capital gains tax on the sale of homes, making it easier for home owners to sell and home buyers to buy.
The TPPF take: Homeownership is becoming increasingly more difficult due to government intervention in the sale and construction of housing.
“It doesn’t take a degree in economics to see the problem,” says TPPF’s Chance Weldon. “When government policies dramatically increase the cost of building a home, homes become more expensive. That’s just math.”
For more on housing regulations, click here
DOGE 2: Electric Boogaloo
What to know: According to polling, Texans consider property taxes to be a “major burden” on themselves and their families.
The TPPF take: The federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has demonstrated how leveraging resources like artificial intelligence can quickly and effectively identify waste, fraud, and abuse in government agencies.
“Given the success of this new venture and the need to truly relieve the squeeze of high property taxes driven by unchecked local spending, policymakers should expand TREO’s reach to include conducting government efficiency audits of school district, city, county, and special purpose district budgets and operations,” says TPPF’s Eric Oldfather. “In so doing, the Texas Legislature can help uncover waste, fraud, and abuse that have accrued over time, especially in the aftermath of an avalanche of pandemic aid.”