This Friday, September 1st, 2023, marks the day nearly 800 new laws, passed by the 88th Legislature, go into effect. Of those, several will impact Texas taxpayers directly both immediately and into the future.  For Texas taxpayers, the 88th Legislative…

Texas is a leader in job creation over the last year and since February 2020. But Texas faces major headwinds as the recently ended 88th Legislature looked more like California than what is expected from the free-market bastion of hope…

In the intricate political landscape of Texas politics, more often than not those politicians that claim to be “Republicans” or “conservatives” advocate for fiscally responsible government, lower taxes, and less spending by government entities. Dallas Changing their Playbook? Yet, in…

Are you a homeowner? A small business owner? Farmer or rancher? Texas property owner of any kind? If you are, then this information is for you! Tax Rates Every year, local governments in Texas set a budget for their operations…

This November, Texans across the State will go to the polls to vote on fourteen (14) amendment propositions to the Texas Constitution. These proposed amendments were passed by two-thirds of both the Texas House and the Texas Senate and require…

The year is 2035. Kamala Harris is in her second term as president of the United States, after serving as vice president under Joe Biden for eight years. The “Inflation Reduction Act 5.0″ and the third iteration of the Green…

As the smoke begins to clear after the conclusion of the regular 88th Legislative Session and two special sessions, Texans are beginning to examine the myriad of both progress and damage accomplished by the Texas Legislature.  In the damage category,…

Overview Texas Passes Largest Budget Increase in Texas History Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) recently signed the Texas budget (HB 1) passed by the 88th Texas Legislature with the largest spending increases, the largest corporate welfare increases, and the largest social safety net…

An Overview The good news is that state officials in Texas have been debating how to provide one of the largest tax cuts in the state’s history and were even talking about eliminating school maintenance and operations (M&O) property taxes….

Governor Greg Abbott has, on several recent occasions, opined that Texas possesses the “best business climate” and is “America’s premier economic destination.” While on the surface this seems true, the emphasis by the state and local governments over the last…

Taxation has always been an integral part of a nation’s economic system, enabling governments to fund public services and fulfill their obligations. The Revolutionary War marked a turning point in American history, as colonists fought for independence from British rule….

In the third attempt this legislative cycle, Phelan and Patrick continue the battle over property tax relief and Abbott introduces a new(ish) topic to the debate. The clash between the east and west chambers of the Texas Capitol has officially…

Just three days after House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) formed a new Select Study Committee on Sustainable Property Tax Relief in the Texas House, Chairman Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) sent a letter to the committee’s chairman, Morgan Meyer (R-Dallas), proposing a…

Executive Summary The Texas Legislature is in the midst of a 20-year spending spree. Since 2003, the appropriation of state funds per legislative session has increased from $76.2 billion to $233 billion. Remarkably, 44% of that growth happened in 2023…

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…