Texans to Receive Only $6 Billion in Property Tax Relief New Spending Reduces Potential Tax Cuts Now and in the Future When the Texas Senate meets this week to debate and adopt the 2026-27 budget for the state of Texas,…

Texas’ state government has a $24 billion surplus and a $28.5 billion Rainy Day Fund. Instead of using this overcollected taxpayer money to substantially cut taxes, government spending, and regulations, the 89th Texas Legislature is often advancing legislation in this…

Texas must take advantage of this moment to rein in its bloated government workforce and put taxpayers first. The resignation of 77,000 federal employees out of 2.2 million—and nearly 3 million including contractors—proves what we already knew: government is too…

Texas House Leadership Sidesteps Full House Vote In a move that bypasses traditional legislative procedures and disrespects taxpayers, the Texas House Administration Committee has unilaterally approved significant budget increases for legislative offices, including a controversial new stipend for Democrat vice…

A sentiment making its way around the Texas Legislature is that providing tax relief for property owners is “too big of a commitment.” An element of this sentiment was expressed several times in a recent Senate Finance Committee hearing where…

Texas House Leadership’s Push to Raise Budgets Without a Vote is a Direct Assault on Fiscal Responsibility and Democracy The Texas House of Representatives is currently embroiled in a troubling move that raises serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and fiscal…

AUSTIN, TX – On Wednesday, the Texas House and Texas Senate both introduced their proposed appropriation bills for the 2026-2027 biennium.  The House version, HB 1, was introduced by State Rep. Greg Bonnen (R-Friendswood), while the Senate version, SB 1,…

The News Comes Despite Promises of Tax Relief New data released by the Texas Comptroller’s office shows that property taxes increased for the second straight year, despite recent claims of property tax relief from politicians. Figure 1 shows the total…

The latest Biennial Property Tax Report from the Texas Comptroller confirms what many Texas homeowners and fiscal watchdogs, like TFR, already suspected: property taxes did, in fact, increase in 2023 by $650 Million despite promises of relief.  While this news…

Texas shines as a top contender for economic freedom, ranking 5th in the United States in the latest 2024 Economic Freedom of North America (EFNA) report. Its lower-tax environment and flexible labor market have made the Lone Star State a…

State needs a similar effort to Musk’s federal crusade. This commentary was originally published at The Dallas Morning News here. It is being republished with permission from the author. One of the most amazing political phenomena Americans have seen in ages is…

Texans know that economic freedom is the foundation of prosperity. Yet, despite Republican control of the Governor’s Office and Legislature since 2003, state and local government spending has grown far too much, burdening taxpayers and stifling even greater economic growth….

Texas ranks 7th in the 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index, benefiting from its lack of an individual income tax and a competitive unemployment insurance tax system. However, high property taxes, a complex corporate tax system, and excessive government spending, all…

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…

The 2024 election results were a clear victory for fiscal conservatives across Texas (and the country as a whole). With the Republican Party securing expanded majorities in both chambers of the State legislature, a unique opportunity is presented to push…