Tim Hardin
The Fed Raises Rates Again
Today, the Federal Open Market Committee released the minutes from their most recent meeting. The most significant news was that they hiked the interest rate by 25 basis points to give us a total federal rate of 4.5% (up from…
Why Property Taxes Are Immoral: Examining the Impact on Private Property
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…
Is There Really an Appetite for School Choice in Texas?
It is National School Choice Week, and if you have been paying attention at all over the last few years, you are probably aware that a massive wave of school choice legislation is being implemented across the country. Much of…
Are We Really Getting $15 Billion in Property Tax Relief?
Recently, the House and Senate released their versions of the appropriation bill. House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 1 respectively lay out the biennial budget for the 2024-2025 biennium. Texans for Fiscal Responsibility has already highlighted that $15 billion in…
TFR Statement on Appropriation Bills
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…
Is Texas Ready to Legalize Casino Gambling?
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…
Legislature Votes to Raise Office Budgets at Taxpayers’ Expense
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…
They Are Right, Texas Has a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity
On Monday, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar released his long-awaited Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) ahead of the 88th Legislative Session, which begins today. The BRE is an estimate of the revenue that the State of Texas expects to receive through the…
TFR Statement on the Growing Budget Surplus
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…
Prepare Yourselves — Session Is Coming
The 88th Legislative Session Is Nearly Here It is that time again. An odd-numbered year has begun, so we are just days away from the 88th Legislative Session beginning. So much has occurred since the last time the Legislature met,…
What Does a Successful Legislative Session Look Like?
With the 88th Legislative Session set to begin in January, we are increasingly asked by taxpayers and lawmakers alike what winning looks like to Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. That is what we are going to discuss in this article. As…
School Choice In Texas… Will It Actually Happen?
Lately, there has been a lot of noise nationwide about school choice and here in Texas, that noise is no different as we head into the legislative session which begins in January. Much of the outcry for education reform comes…
Property Tax Bills Filed in Large Numbers, a Good Sign for Taxpayers
On Monday, lawmakers in both the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate began the process of prefiling legislation ahead of the upcoming 88th Legislative Session, and hundreds of bills have already been filed. 2023 will be a contentious year…
Recent Report Shows Texas’ Abysmal Record on Property Taxes
Recently, the Huffines Liberty Foundation released a report entitled “Texas Property Taxes: A State-to-State Comparison.” As the first in a three-part series, the report itself claims to be a road map to abolish property taxes in Texas, something the majority…
Should We Have Secret, Nonpartisan Local Elections in Texas?
As we find ourselves in the midst of election season, it is a great time to talk about how elections are conducted in Texas. In my time traveling the state and speaking to taxpayers about a myriad of issues related…