When Texas taxes too much, there is currently no way in the appropriations process to give that money back to the people–while House members can offer amendments that reduce the amount of spending on specific programs, these amendments usually set aside the extra money and make it available for other members to appropriate for other purposes, rather than actually lowering the amount spent. The beneficiaries of any spending reduction are actually the constituents of these other programs, not the taxpayers.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation advocates the creation of a Sales Tax Relief Fund, giving legislators the option to appropriate that “extra” back to the people, through the reduction of the state sales tax over a period of time.
The following is a compilation of all the work the Foundation has done on this issue:
The Report: Protecting Texas Taxpayers: Sales Tax Relief (STaR) Fund
To hear Chuck DeVore, Talmadge Heflin and Vance Ginn discuss and explain the topic, check out this week’s PolicyCast:
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