AUSTIN, Texas — State lawmakers pumped the breaks on a priority property tax reform bill Thursday. It’s meant to slow down the rate in which your property taxes rise, but the Texas House postponed its expected debate after hours of delay. It appears to be out of courtesy to the Senate. That chamber was the…

In the years following World War II, Texas suffered years of fiscal challenges. A downturn in the oil and gas market meant the state was getting relatively little by way of tax from that industry. With no personal income tax available for revenue, lawmakers in 1961 turned to a general sales tax as a way…