The Texas Title Insurance Tax – Jefferson County

When Government Lobbies Itself: Why Texas Should Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

Texas local governments use taxpayer dollars to hire lobbyists to influence state legislation—creating conflicts of interest, distorting democratic accountability, and undermining the interests of Texas taxpayers. Key points: Taxpayer-funded lobbying expenditures more than doubled from the 85th to the 89th Legislature, now reaching as high as $111.5 million. Taxpayer-funded lobbyists consistently opposed legislation involving property...

Heavy Regulation, High Profits, and Wasteful Spending

Texas has the most restrictive regulation of title rates and forms (policies) in the nation, allowing no opportunity for insurers to innovate with their products or lower rates to compete for business directly from the consumer. Texas should introduce competition into the title insurance market by moving to a file-and-use system.

Impact of a Border- Adjustment Tax on the Texas Insurance Market

Applying a destination-based cash flow tax—better known as a “border-adjustment tax,” or BAT—to the import of reinsurance would have significant effects on the cost and availability of a range of insurance products. This report projects that, for Texas consumers, the impact would be $3.39 billion in higher property-casualty insurance premiums over the next decade.