Jeramy Kitchen
Abbott Draws Line in the Sand on Budget Surplus Use for Property Tax Relief
On Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott reportedly opined on the projected budget surplus and its partial use for the purposes of providing a property tax cut. “Texas is sitting on a record budget surplus of $27 billion… Because this…
Polling Suggests Most Texans Want True Property Tax Relief
This week, the Defend Texas Liberty PAC released polling that suggested a majority of Texans, from both major political parties, support using a majority of the projected budget surplus to lower their property tax burdens. Polling Results Among several…
Higher Education Escapes Culpability in Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Debate
Last week, the Biden administration announced plans to eliminate a portion of student loan debt for Americans who qualify under a certain income threshold. To be clear, the plan collectivizes the debt incurred by individuals and further burdens U.S. taxpayers….
Student Loan Forgiveness: Potential Fuel to the Inflation Fire
Why pay off your debt if you can get your fellow Americans to pick up the tab? Traditionally, if an individual takes out a loan, it is with the promise that it will be paid back. But evidently, that dynamic…
Upcoming Opportunity for Texas Taxpayers to Opine on Growing Property Tax Problem
As state lawmakers prepare for the 2023 legislative session in the coming weeks, Texas taxpayers have an opportunity to address them on issues like their ever-increasing property tax burdens. Texas House Ways & Means Committee The Texas House Ways…
Abbott Spends $1,400 per Bus Rider to Help Biden Keep Illegal Immigrants in America
Currently in Texas, immigrants caught crossing the border illegally can volunteer to be put on charter buses, which are primarily paid for by Texas taxpayers. These immigrants are then securely bused to either Washington, D.C., or New York City. This…
House Speaker Wants to Renew Controversial Corporate Welfare Program
Last week, Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan made headlines for his comments at the West Texas Legislative Summit in San Angelo, Texas, where he indicated that the House will take a “long, hard look” in the next legislative session…
Democrat Lawmaker Suggests Expanding Medicaid is Wise Fiscal Policy
Democrat State Rep. Bobby Guerra (Mission), who “boasts” a career rating of an F on the Fiscal Responsibility Index and scored a dismal 17 out of 100 in the most recent legislative session, recently took to the Rio Grande Guardian…
They Dare Not Call it a Recession
Thursday, Americans woke up to the news that the U.S. economy continued to contract for the second straight quarter. For Americans who have been experiencing a higher cost of living in the last year or so, it is not necessarily…
Texas GOP Platform Includes Texas Prosperity Plan
Wednesday, the Republican Party of Texas released its 2022 Platform as approved by delegates to its State Convention in mid-June. Among the 274 ‘planks’ or policy positions were all three of the items set forth in Texans for Fiscal Responsibility’s…
One Texan’s Exemption is Another Texan’s Increased Burden
A reprieve from taxes, however significant, is always welcome news for Texas taxpayers, well… at least for the ones that directly benefit from that reprieve. At a recent Senate Finance Committee hearing, State Sen. Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown) inquired about the…
Texas GOP Announces Legislative Priorities for Next Two Years
Wednesday, the Republican Party of Texas announced the final list of 8 legislative priorities, approved by delegates to the state convention which took place last week. This announcement is notable for several reasons, chief among them being that the state…
Abbott Signals Property Tax Cuts, What About Elimination?
In an interview with The Texan, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar indicated that it is possible Texas will have an estimated $30 billion account balance when the Texas Legislature reconvenes in January of 2023. In March, we reported that it was…
Introducing the Texas Prosperity Plan
At Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR), we hear from Texans every day, impacted by the rising costs of living, rising property tax burdens, and general dismay towards a government that seems to represent their own interests less and less. For too…
New Report Shows the Increased Debt Burdens on Texas Taxpayers in Largest Cities
Recently, Truth in Accounting published their latest Combined City Taxpayer Report of the 10 most populated cities in the United States and the debt burdens put on each of their taxpayers. The report attempts to measure the annual financial reports…