Improving state budget transparency would provide Texans and their legislators with a clear picture of how their tax dollars are spent. The current strategic budget format of Texas' budget makes it challenging for experts, much less ordinary citizens, to track funds in the budget.
Taxes & Spending
Assessing Tax Trends in the City of Dallas
Does history suggest that property taxes are too high in the city of Dallas? And, if so, have local decision-makers actively helped or hurt the situation? To help answer these questions, let’s review the city’s 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and gather four types of data—i.e., tax levies, local population, total tax rates, and taxable values—over a 10-year time horizon. Using these audited estimates, we can gauge the growth of government (i.e., tax levy trends), assess its reasonability...
February 18, 2026