Tax Reform Commission Doesn’t Want To Raise Sales Tax

In terms of being a juicy story for the blogs, so far the most exciting thing that has happened with the Texas Tax Reform Commission was when John Sharp’s prized dog gave birth at one of the meetings.

Now, the panel headed by sharp is expected to tell Texas lawmakers they can cut property taxes by a third without raising the sales tax. While that’s not as exciting as Sharp’s dog having puppies, it’s not totally uninteresting:

The panel, which was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to help the Legislature address a court-ordered tax overhaul, is studying other revenue options that can lessen public school dependence on Texas homeowners.

Among the alternatives are using $1 billion of the state’s budget surplus, overhauling the business franchise tax and raising taxes on cigarettes, chairman John Sharp said. That would raise enough money to reduce property tax rates from $1.50 per $100 in property value to $1.

An increased sales tax was a key part of failed legislative plans over the last several years and also was a sticking point between the House and Senate, which argued over how high the rate should be set.

Perry plans to call lawmakers back to the Capitol in April to tackle the issue before the June 1 deadline ordered by the state Supreme Court.

Which reminds me, is he waiting until the runoff is over to call this session? I mean, I understand that, but I hope he doesn’t expect legislators to actually come up with a plan in a month or less.

Tweet This Post   Ping This Post

Bookmark It