Chapter 313 Update: House Hearing Tuesday; Senate Bill Nearing Movement The House Ways and Means Committee Tuesday afternoon will consider three economic development bills dealing with the temporary school tax limitation program, Chapter 313, which is slated to expire at the end of 2014. HB 2647 by Murphy (support) would extend (for 10 years) and…

Monday Is “Prop 2 Day” In Ways & Means The Ways & Means Committee hearing agenda for April Fool’s Day includes three bills relating to the property tax exemption for pollution control property, popularly referred to as the Prop 2 exemption in recognition of its position on 1991’s constitutional amendment ballot. The bills to be…

Ways and Means: Franchise Tax Under Scrutiny The meetings of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee continue to focus on the franchise tax, in anticipation of some type of limited “reform” package. Chairman Hilderbran is considering different approaches—either a single omnibus franchise tax bill or a set of separate, narrower bills addressing changes in…

February 1, 2013 Revenues, the Budget, and Tax Relief Comptroller Combs may have surprised lawmakers with a somewhat higher revenue estimate than many anticipated. The House and Senate had been working on slightly different budget packages, but both tallied well below the Comptroller’s estimate of available revenues—roughly $5.5 billion, or about 6 percent of discretionary…

School Finance: Tick, Tick, Tick… The school finance trial has recessed until Monday, January 7, 2013, when the state will continue with its witnesses. Thus far, most of the state’s expert witnesses have testified that more revenue does not necessarily result in better performance from students and/or that adequacy of funding cannot be measured accurately….