Abbott right but the House has stood in way

Robert Pratt

In his State of the State address and charge to Texas legislators, Governor Greg Abbott said: “Another way for Texas to grow jobs is by cutting taxes and regulations on business. Ben Franklin said the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. As far as I’m concerned, the only good tax is a dead tax. We must continue to cut the business franchise tax until it fits in a coffin.”

Sadly the budget is so tight this time around that there is not likely to be much if any reduction in the hated margins tax. Which is an example of why it was wrong of House leadership to fight such when coffers were flush. In politics you often only get one chance in a long time span, often a generation or more, to make needed reforms and when you sit on your hands, you miss such chance all together.

Governor Abbott went on to say: “Speaking of taxes, Texans are being crushed by property taxes. Their property tax bills often increase far faster than household income.”

“No government should be able to tax people out of their homes. No government should be able to disregard the private property rights of its citizens. Texas should not stand for it,” Abbott said.

He added: “We must remember: Property owners are not renting their land from the city. That is why we need property tax reform that prevents cities from raising property taxes without voter approval. We need serious property tax reform with a real revenue cap.”

Conservatives in the legislature have been trying to accomplish this for over a decade and in the last many sessions have been stopped not by Democrats alone but by House leadership and moderates combining forces with Democrats.

Such may be the most costly and despicable of all that falls at the feet of Speaker Joe Straus and his cadre.