Texas House Postpones Property Tax Vote
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…
Read MoreBroad state sales tax began in 1961
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…
Read MoreTexas schools poised to get multi billion-dollar bump
A key Texas Senate panel agreed Thursday to spend $9 billion on public education and property tax relief, matching the amount approved by the House hours earlier. The two spending plans differ on how to slice up that multi-billion-dollar pie, however.
Read MoreCould Texas’ property tax solution be in California?
Of all the places Gov. Greg Abbott might go for policy ideas, it’s hard to imagine a less likely place than California. But the uber-expensive, highly-taxed, bluest-of-blue states may actually hold the answer to an issue Abbott called an “emergency” during his State of the State address.
Read MoreAnalysis: Property tax relief — but not for all Texas taxpayers
Giving every property owner in Texas a significant tax cut is expensive, but there are less ambitious plans under consideration along with the big ones.
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