Texas Senate Doubles Down, House Forms New Study Committee
After Governor Abbott used the threat of his veto power to try and force the House and Senate to come to an agreement on property tax relief over the weekend (to no avail, despite having vetoed 76 bills), the battle for property tax relief in Austin continues. The...
2023: Tops & Flops List
Since 2007, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR) has attempted to provide Texas taxpayers with a tool to easily discern how their lawmakers perform on issues related to the size and role of government. The Fiscal Responsibility Index uses votes taken by lawmakers on...
Property Tax Relief: Where Does It Stand?
The first-called special session has officially crossed the two-week mark, and with that, not much has changed regarding actual progress to bring down the skyrocketing tax bills of Texans. Among the various bills, property tax relief plans, political rhetoric,...
Explainer: What Is Tax Compression?
Introduction As the debate about the superior property tax relief package continues, many would imagine the most common question that TFR gets is whether we support tax compression or increasing the homestead exemption. Although that is a safe assumption, that is not...
Abbott Signs Corporate Welfare Boondoggle Into Law
On Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed legislation purporting to be a "new" economic development tool into law. Despite its similarities to the now-ended Chapter 313 tax abatement program, its supporters insist this new program is a more accountable and...
Dismal Legislative Session for Texas Taxpayers
The 88th Texas Legislative Session has come and gone. State lawmakers were faced with a historic budget surplus (over-collected taxpayer dollars) and a historic opportunity to provide Texas taxpayers with much-needed tax relief and a promise for future prosperity....
Where Are the Fiscal Conservatives?
Lost in all of the noise and chaos surrounding the 88th Legislative Session is the fact that Republican lawmakers, who have enjoyed a comfortable majority in the Texas Legislature for the last two decades, ushered in the biggest spending increase in Texas history this...
Episode 20: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the 88th Legislative Session
https://youtu.be/Wg04S959Ovc Episode Description 💰 In our FINAL EPISODE of this season of 𝗧𝗔𝗫𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦, we are joined by special guests Vance Ginn, Ph.D., and Bill Peacock to discuss the 88th Legislative Session, what happened, what did not happen, the good, the...
Episode 15: The Session Comes to a Close With Not Much to Show for It
https://youtu.be/vTAZXA-tMHw Episode Description 💰 In our fifteenth and final episode of 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝗔𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗, we discuss the end of the 88th Legislative Session and lack of successes for things on Texas Governor Greg Abbott's "emergency agenda" and items important to Texas...