News and Commentary

Podcast - Taxpayer Talks

Episode 11: Jeff Cason, Quid Pro Joe and a Political Culture of Spending

Episode Description πŸ’° In this episode of π—§π—”π—«π—£π—”π—¬π—˜π—₯ π—§π—”π—Ÿπ—žπ—¦, we highlight some of the more interesting points to come out of our recent interview with Texas Republican State Representative Jeff Cason, the recent “Quid pro-Joe” scandal regarding Saudi Arabian oil,…

Explainers

Explainer: What Is Keynesian Economics?

Oftentimes when operating in the world of fiscal policy, economists use certain terms and phrases and simply gloss over them, not realizing that everyday taxpayers may not understand. A number of these come up from time to time, and I…

NewsFederal

Biden Caught in Another ‘Quid Pro Joe’

Where is the outrage for the many obviously corrupt business and political dealings of Joe Biden? In the last week, the government of Saudi Arabia made public that U.S. President Joe Biden was engaged in yet another quid pro quoβ€”or,…

Podcast - Taxpayer Talks

Episode 10: BONUS EPISODE: Bill Peacock, Host of The Liberty Cafe Podcast

Episode Description πŸ’° In this bonus episode of π—§π—”π—«π—£π—”π—¬π—˜π—₯ π—§π—”π—Ÿπ—žπ—¦, we talk with Bill Peacock, host of The Liberty Cafe Podcast and curator of ExcellentThought.net about fiscal issues facing Texas including what changes, if any could benefit the state budgeting…

Podcast - Taxpayer Talks

Episode 9: Bill Peacock, Local Government Property Tax Loophole & Election

Episode Description πŸ’° In this episode of π—§π—”π—«π—£π—”π—¬π—˜π—₯ π—§π—”π—Ÿπ—žπ—¦, we highlight some of the more interesting points to come out of our recent interview with Bill Peacock, we discuss a loophole local governments are exploiting related to setting property tax…

NewsFederal

Inflation Increase Is More Than Expected

Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for the month of September was released Thursday morning, and with it came more bad news with regard to our economic outlook. Inflation (year over year) came in at 8.2%. Though this is down from…

Commentary

Texas Taxpayers Weigh Concerns Ahead of November Election

With only a month before the November general election, we surveyed subscribers of our weekly email, The Fiscal Note, about the issues they consider most likely to impact their decisions at the ballot box. The question posed to subscribers of…

NewsState

Cities Using Loophole to Raise Taxes Without Approval Elections

Many taxpayers have reached out to us regarding cities and other local political subdivisions raising taxes beyond their voter approval thresholds without triggering an election. Many have wondered how this is possible after the supposed “historic property tax reform” of…

NewsFederal

Yet Another Somber Debt Milestone

$31 trillion. Written another way, $31,000,000,000,000. Sadly, milestones like these seem to have become all too regular. They are almost as certain as the political theatre performed by the U.S. Congress every few months over whether or not to raise…

Podcast - Taxpayer Talks

Episode 8: Texas Gubernatorial Debate & Property Taxes

Episode Description πŸ’° In this episode of π—§π—”π—«π—£π—”π—¬π—˜π—₯ π—§π—”π—Ÿπ—žπ—¦, we discuss the recent and only Texas Gubernatorial Debate and more specifically the candidate’s thoughts on property tax in Texas, as well as a Texas House Appropriations Subcommittee which was apparently…

Commentary

Texas Taxpayers Do Not Support Continued Corporate Welfare

Following a recent interim hearing of the Texas House Ways & Means Committee where they discussed several issues important to Texas taxpayers (including the potential revitalization of Chapter 313 tax abatements), we surveyed subscribers to The Fiscal Note about whether…

NewsState

In Debate, Abbott Says He Will Eliminate School Property Taxes

Last Friday, Texas taxpayers had a chance to watch the one and only debate between former U.S. Congressman Beto O’Rourke (D) and incumbent Governor Greg Abbott (R) before the November general election. The two addressed several issues important to Texans,…

NewsState

Political Theatre on Fiscal Prudence in Texas House of Representatives

During the 86th legislative session in 2019, state lawmakers passed legislation related to strategic fiscal reviews of state agencies and programs, seemingly an attempt at fiscal prudence relating to the allocation of tax dollars at the state level for some…

Podcast - Taxpayer Talks

Episode 7: Political Activism, Deceptive Cities, and Chapter 313 Tax Abatements

Episode Description πŸ’° In this episode of π—§π—”π—«π—£π—”π—¬π—˜π—₯ π—§π—”π—Ÿπ—žπ—¦, we discuss political activism in fiscal policy, deceptive cities raising taxes, and chapter 313 tax abatements.   Articles Referenced The Importance of Political Activism in Fiscal Policy (9.26.2022) Fort Worth Slaps…

Explainers

Explainer: What Are 313 Tax Abatements?

A topic that has become more popular recently due to Speaker Dade Phelan’s support for their renewal is Chapter 313 tax abatements. However, when interacting with taxpayers, I have noticed that most people have no clue about the controversial program….