This brief is based on testimony presented before the Senate Finance Committee, March 15, 2006. Foundation chief economist Byron Schlomach, Ph.D., provides a sound case for why Texas should move more toward consumption taxes and away from distorting taxes like the franchise tax.
Toward a More Well-Informed Citizenry
The 86th Texas Legislature sought to enhance public debt transparency through the creation of Voter Information Documents (VID). However, this instrument is not accurately providing debt amounts and needs reform. Key points: Governments are manipulating the VID methodology to deny voters accurate tax impact estimates. Many VIDs are dissimilar, making comparative analysis challenging. There is...