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Texas doesn’t have income taxes, so property taxes are the only way cities can raise money. People love to bitch about high property taxes and then wonder why the cities they live in suck…
They also have no sales tax. With him closing off this pathway and Republicans refuse to tax corporations this leaves only one revenue source available... Anyone want to guess what that is?
If you guessed mass fines/tickets, imprisonment, and slavery you are correct.
We most certainly do have sales taxes.
On specific things. I go once a year to buy several items because of it.
They have a weekend in August where there is no sales tax on clothing and other things, but there is sales tax other than that. The only general exception to sales tax is on unprocessed groceries
No sales tax on grocery and food. Sales tax on everything else. New Hampshire has no sales tax on anything.
If our taxes actually went to things that made life better it wouldn't be so annoying. My tiny TX police don't need a fucking bomb-proof RV and military equipment
Starve the beast politics
Look, the government is bad and incompetent and Republicans want you to vote for them so they can prove it.
All cities and counties in Texas are blocked from raising property taxes over a certain amount each year unless they get voter approval to do so. This is actually a good thing, considering property taxes were skyrocketing and pricing people out of their homes.
The 130 Paxton targeted is some bizarre thing about an audit proving that these cities are following the law. Knowing AG Paxton, there’s some ulterior motive and he’s using this to harass people to get something he wants.
The push is part of an ongoing effort by Paxton to make sure cities aren’t unduly raising property taxes under Senate Bill 1851, which passed last year. That law is part of a GOP-led push to rein in the state’s high property taxes. It bars cities from raising more in property taxes than they did the previous year if they don’t conduct an annual financial audit and release an annual financial statement based on that audit.
I don't know whether I approve of the new law or not. But if that's the law and if Paxton is enforcing it fairly, then I have no problem with this.
Of course, since my image of Paxton is one of a corrupt politician who should be in jail right now, I don't have high expectations that the law is being enforced fairly. This type of scheme screams kickbacks and bribes. "I can continue funneling government money into my pockets if I just pay Paxton to look the other way."