TFR Staff
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar Announces Historic Surplus in Updated Estimate
Thursday, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar released his updated revenue estimate for the state of Texas. Previously the surplus estimate coming off of the most recent legislative session was around $8 billion. This estimate was updated in November of 2021 to…
Texas Comptroller To Announce New Revenue Increase On Thursday
Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee held its first interim hearing to consider some of their assigned interim charges involving the state budget. Among the invited testimony was that of Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar, who came to give a general update…
Explainer: What Is Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying?
Recently Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR) released its Texas Prosperity Plan focusing on policy goals for the upcoming Texas legislative session set to begin in January of 2023. The plan focuses on three specific issues to reform: 1) Eliminating Property…
Explainer: What is the “No New Revenue Rate”?
In a year that has resulted in crushing property tax burdens for the majority of Texans, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR) has set its sights on giving as much transparency to the property tax process in Texas as possible. Most…
Texas GOP State Convention Concluded. Here Is What Happened.
Thousands of Republicans from across the state of Texas, descended into Houston last week to participate in crafting the platform for the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) among other party organizational items for the next two years. Elected delegates to…
In Recent Senate Finance Hearing, Taxpayers Told To Wait For Relief
In a recent Texas Senate Finance Committee Hearing, the subject of high property tax appraisals came up during a discussion on what should be done about the interim charge they were to consider related to property tax relief. The committee…
Texas Home Appraisals Are At All Time Highs
2022 has been an unprecedented year on a number of fronts. Texas, like the rest of the nation, has experienced record inflation, record gas prices, and sky-high home appraisals. Why have home prices been so high? Is it just a…
Senate Finance Committee Shows Hand Again On Property Tax Relief
Monday, the Senate Committee on Finance met to discuss their interim charge related to property tax relief. They had the usual suspects show up as invited testimony: The Comptroller’s office and the Legislative Budget Board among others to discuss the…
No… We Don’t Have To Replace The Property Tax With Anything
In a year where most property owners find themselves getting overwhelmed with inflation driving up the costs of basic goods and services as well as major increases in property tax burdens, it has not been surprising to see millions of…
Property Tax Propositions Pass, But Will They Make a Difference?
Saturday, Texas voters took to the polls to consider two statewide constitutional propositions, local elected offices, and various bond proposals. As the results came in, there appeared to be some very promising news for conservatives, especially in school board elections…
Senators Showed More Interest In Giving Themselves Raises Than Property Tax Relief in Hearing
Wednesday, the Texas Senate Committee on Finance convened for the first time since the last special legislative session to consider interim charges related to the state budget. Among the issues discussed were things like inflation, Russia, and state pension reforms….
10 Facts About Property Taxes In Texas
Property taxes are one of the most confusing systems that taxpayers are tasked with understanding in Texas. The system itself is purposely complicated, with lawmakers changing definitions and the state Tax Code nearly every two years, it is nearly impossible…
They Shout Relief, But Where Is It?
Despite years of desperate cries from Texas taxpayers seeking significant property tax relief, Texans are once again being reminded that our lawmakers have no real desire to help lower our property tax bills. With stories of many Texas taxpayers experiencing…
Inflation Hits a 40 Year High… Again
The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released Tuesday reveals that year-over-year inflation for the month of March hit 8.5%. This was a 1.2% increase from the previous month of February. Inflation has become a major problem for most Americans…
Taxpayers Suffer As Superintendents Prosper
Last week the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released its most recent superintendent’s salary report to the public. The report includes some disturbing results and shows that the average superintendent makes considerably more than the average Texan. The top ten highest-paid…