Despite its conservative image, Texas is a haven for crony capitalism. Texans provide billions of dollars for big and small business and special interests groups through multiple channels, including property tax abatements for manufacturers and subsidies in the Texas budget. …

The Texas budget is put together using smoke and mirrors. Everything about the appropriations process is designed to hide the total cost and true size of the state government from Texas taxpayers. For instance, the Legislative Budget Board shows that…

Introduction The Texas Constitution contains two limits on state government spending. One of them is a balanced budget amendment, known as the Pay-As-You-Go Limit. Because of this, Texas cannot use deficit spending to support most state expenditures. While this is…

When the Texas House and Texas Senate vote on whether to approve the final versions of House Bill 500 and Senate Bill 1, Figure 1 shows that they will be voting on whether to approve more than $53 billion in…

Once hailed as a national model for fiscal responsibility and economic freedom, Texas now appears to be drifting dangerously close to California’s big-government playbook. The recently proposed 2026–27 Texas state budget sends a clear signal: the Lone Star State is…

Since 2019, including what is proposed this session, the Texas Legislature has increased spending on public schools by about $23 billion in the name of property tax relief. It has done little to help Texans; during that period, Figure 1…

As the 89th legislative session quickly approaches following tremendous GOP gains in the 2024 election, Republicans in the Texas State House are divided over leadership.  An impending vote this weekend for House Speaker looms like a dark cloud over the…

States across the country are rethinking tax reform to stay competitive for residents and businesses. Many are exploring ways to phase out personal income, business franchise, and property taxes to attract workers, foster economic growth, and ensure property rights. But…

As Texas faces rising property taxes and record-high government spending, it’s time to reassess the path toward long-term prosperity. Recent data illustrates Texas’ strengths and challenges.  In August 2024, Texas maintained a 4.1% unemployment rate, while the state’s GDP grew…

Overview Introduction ​Recently, the Texas Legislative Budget Board released the Fiscal Size-Up 2024-25 Biennium report with the latest estimated or budgeted amounts in the prior 2022-23 budget and the appropriated 2024-25 budget. The results from the 88th Texas Legislature’s efforts…

The State of Texas is pouring unprecedented amounts of taxpayer money into public education with little to show for it.  From the 2014-15 school year, to the 2022-23 school year, total education spending surged 53% to $92.4 billion, while per-student…

Texas families are facing an affordability crisis that is being exacerbated by property taxes: a never-ending tax that, fundamentally, serves as a form of perpetual rent to the government.  While the Legislature has taken steps recently to address the rising…

Executive Summary The only thing the Texas Legislature must do when they meet every two years is adopt a budget. Not surprisingly, with years of practice they have gotten pretty good at spending taxpayers’ money. For instance, the Legislature appropriated…

This commentary was originally published at VanceGinn.com here. It is being republished with permission from the author. Overview Despite increases in public education expenditures with taxpayer money in Texas, student performance is flat or declining. Texas is falling behind thriving states…

Introduction The Texas Legislative Budget Board (LBB) publishes the “Fiscal Size-Up” report after every session to comprehensively review the state’s budget and fiscal actions for the biennium. The latest report, covering the 2024-25 budget period, offers crucial insights into how…