Real Options for Eliminating Property Taxes in Texas
Property taxes are a financial burden that Texans can no longer afford to endure. Over the past 26 years, Figure 1 illustrates how property taxes have increased by an unsustainable 330%, far outpacing population and inflation growth of 136%. Figure 1. Growth in...
House Speaker Vote Results and Fallout
What it means for conservative-fiscal policy On Saturday, the Texas House Republican Caucus convened in the capitol building to cast their votes for a new Speaker, following Dade Phelan’s withdrawal from the contentious race the day before. As reported by Texans for...
Dade Phelan Drops Out, His Lieutenant Jumps In
This morning, the sitting Speaker of the Texas House, Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) released a statement announcing that he was withdrawing his candidacy to remain Speaker in the 89th Legislative Session. Phelan’s statement announcing his decision said, in part, “Out...
Texas Spending in the Current Biennium Likely to Top $400 Billion
The old truism is that there are two certainties in life, death and taxes. I’d like to modify that slightly to death and government spending. After all, government spending is why taxes exist. No spending, no taxes. But there is spending, and a lot of it. In...
The Case Against Dade Phelan (or a Dade 2.0) as House Speaker
As the 89th legislative session quickly approaches following tremendous GOP gains in the 2024 election, Republicans in the Texas State House are divided over leadership. An impending vote this weekend for House Speaker looms like a dark cloud over the capital,...