Property taxes are a contentious issue for many people, with some (mostly local government officials) arguing that they are an important source of funding for government services. In contrast, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR) and many Texas taxpayers argue that…

Episode Description 💰 In this episode of 𝗧𝗔𝗫𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦, we discuss the recent Texas Senate committee assignments, as well as Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appearing to flip-flop over the details of school choice and how such legislation would affect…

On Monday, Texas’ lieutenant governor announced the committee assignments for the ongoing 88th Legislative Session. Ultimately, there was very little change from the last legislative session with regard to those appointed to be chairman of each Senate committee. Senate Finance…

On Thursday, Texas Republican State Rep. Brian Harrison (Waxahachie) filed legislation seeking to limit the salary paid to officers and employees of this state, as well as political subdivisions in the state, to no more than that of the governor…

Episode Description 💰 In this episode of 𝗧𝗔𝗫𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦, we discuss the inauguration of Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick as well as the legislative priorities they mentioned as a part of their speeches. We also discuss…

Today, both the Texas House and Senate have released their budgets. Both the House and Senate appropriation bills provide $15B for property tax relief, with $12B to compress Maintenance & Operations rates by 7.75% and $3B to increase the homestead…

It seems like every two years, just as the legislative session begins, so too do the conversations about expanded gambling in Texas. Most recently, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) made comments that seem to signal he is in favor…

Episode Description 💰 In this episode of 𝗧𝗔𝗫𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦, we discuss what occurred in the first week of the 88th Legislative Session, as well as the details of the fiscal update we received from Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar with guest…

Only two days into the 88th Legislative Session, both legislative chambers made a mad dash to give their offices as much money as they could squeeze out of Texas taxpayers. Growing Government As expected, they used the usual excuses: to…

On Monday, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar released his long-awaited Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) ahead of the 88th Legislative Session, which begins Tuesday. One key takeaway from Hegar’s announcement, outside of the estimate lawmakers can spend, was that the historic budget…

Episode Description 💰 In this episode of 𝗧𝗔𝗫𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦, we preview what is ahead as the 88th Texas Legislative Session begins next week. We also discuss the ongoing U.S. Congressional chaos related to the selection of a Speaker of the…

What is Festivus? Finding its origins in the hit ’90s sitcom Seinfeld from an episode entitled “The Strike”, the character George Costanza’s family celebrates a holiday called Festivus as an alternative to Christmas, and a tongue-in-cheek protest to the commercialism surrounding…

Episode Description 💰 In this episode of 𝗧𝗔𝗫𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦, we briefly discuss recent polling that suggests taxpayers continue to want the Texas state lawmakers to prioritize property tax relief over any other spending in the upcoming legislative session as well…

Episode Description 💰 In this bonus episode of 𝗧𝗔𝗫𝗣𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗦, we talk with Dr. Vance Ginn, former Chief Economist at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Associate Director for Economic Policy of the Office of Management and Budget under the…

Much to the chagrin of fiscal conservatives, perhaps the most significant thing to come out of the 2022 midterm elections was the overwhelming success of many bond propositions and tax rate increases on the ballot. In a country where we…