Texas politicians had a choice to make this spring. With a record $80 billion of new revenue available, they could either spend the money or give it back to Texas taxpayers in the form of property tax relief. Unfortunately for…

Today, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility sent a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) requesting that he immediately call a third special legislative session, to address a host of pressing issues affecting all Texas taxpayers and families.  It is already…

Every year in August and September, Local Governments across the Lone Star State set about the task of proposing and then adopting their tax rates and budgets for the next year. Last month, TFR reminded Texas taxpayers about the impending…

This Friday, the first of September, roughly 800 new laws passed by the Texas Legislature and signed by Governor Abbott are going fully or partially into effect for the first time.   One of those bills designed to protect Texans from…

This Friday, September 1st, 2023, marks the day nearly 800 new laws, passed by the 88th Legislature, go into effect. Of those, several will impact Texas taxpayers directly both immediately and into the future.  For Texas taxpayers, the 88th Legislative…

This November, Texans across the State will go to the polls to vote on fourteen (14) amendment propositions to the Texas Constitution. These proposed amendments were passed by two-thirds of both the Texas House and the Texas Senate and require…

In an official commemoration surrounded by Texas legislators, Governor Abbott ceremoniously signed and celebrated the second-largest property tax relief package in Texas history. Taking place in New Caney, Texas, and livestreamed online, Governor Abbott on Wednesday ceremoniously signed the new…

Will Texas ban the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying in the next legislative session? Taxpayer-funded lobbying, simply put, is the practice of local political subdivisions (school districts, cities, counties, etc.) hiring lobbyists in Austin to lobby lawmakers to increase the local…

After months of debate, political posturing, stalemate, and eventually a consensus deal between both chambers of the Texas Legislature, the long-awaited property tax relief package has finally been signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.  Governor Abbott officially signed…

As the smoke begins to clear after the conclusion of the regular 88th Legislative Session and two special sessions, Texans are beginning to examine the myriad of both progress and damage accomplished by the Texas Legislature.  In the damage category,…

Overview Texas Passes Largest Budget Increase in Texas History Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) recently signed the Texas budget (HB 1) passed by the 88th Texas Legislature with the largest spending increases, the largest corporate welfare increases, and the largest social safety net…

On Thursday, after months of stalemate, the Texas House finally took up for consideration a property tax plan intended to provide real relief to Texas taxpayers.  The House convened in the early afternoon to consider the proposed plan. Senate Bill…

An Overview The good news is that state officials in Texas have been debating how to provide one of the largest tax cuts in the state’s history and were even talking about eliminating school maintenance and operations (M&O) property taxes….

The House and Senate finally reached a property tax relief deal, but is it everything that they claim it to be? On Monday, leadership in the Texas Legislature finally reached a deal ending the months-long property tax relief stalemate that…

Governor Greg Abbott has, on several recent occasions, opined that Texas possesses the “best business climate” and is “America’s premier economic destination.” While on the surface this seems true, the emphasis by the state and local governments over the last…