Tag Archives: business margins tax

Noted for 2013

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

When the next Texas Legislature gets gaveled in and hears the bad news about the ten-figure budget shortfall it will have to deal with, remember that at least one Republican involved in the budget-writing process this year says we won’t … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against business margins tax

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Allstate Claims Service, L.P., which is based in Boerne, has filed a lawsuit alleging that the business margins tax is an illegally-passed income tax in Texas. Oh, boy. Nikki Laing, a CPA and third-year Baylor law student, studied the structure … Continue reading →

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Talking about the T word

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Scott McCown brings up the subject of taxes but leaves it short of where to go from here. If a stronger economy, honest budgeting and pitting priorities against each other aren’t the answer, what is? Texas must modestly increase taxes. … Continue reading →

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That next school finance lawsuit is coming

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Look for it when school starts this fall. Texas lawmakers who left town recently after cutting public education and doing little to fix school funding disparities have guaranteed another school finance lawsuit, according to educators and lawyers involved in the … Continue reading →

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From the “When you’re in a hole, go ahead and keep digging” files

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Deficit, schmeficit. Texas lawmakers voted on Thursday to extend a tax break for businesses with revenues of less than $1 million a year at a time the state is facing a massive budget shortfall. The House Ways and Means Committee … Continue reading →

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When you find yourself in a hole, go ahead and keep digging

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So Texas has this big budget shortfall. You’ve probably heard about it. A big part of that shortfall is structural, thanks to the 2006 property tax cut that was supposed to be funded primarily by the business margins tax. Unfortunately, … Continue reading →

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School finance reform bills on tap

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Whether you look at the House budget or the slightly less drastic Senate version, public schools will not get the funding they are due under the current defined formulas. That means that how the funds are distributed needs to be … Continue reading →

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Tax breaks are spending, too

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s see who among the “we have to live within our means” crowd opposes this. Faced with a looming budget shortfall, the Senate’s most powerful member is carrying legislation that would cap state spending on school property tax breaks that … Continue reading →

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Raising cigarette taxes

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Is any kind of tax increase possible for this legislative session? The House appropriations bill, scheduled for debate this weekend, would cut out the $10 million-a-year anti-smoking campaign, which remains a legacy of the state’s 1998 tobacco settlement. To save … Continue reading →

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It’s a start

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Credit where it’s due, from a story about the Lobby Day effort by teachers and other public school supporters. New member Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, reminds folks that the current budget shortfall reflects a structural deficit that began in … Continue reading →

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Time for a corporate income tax?

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, but don’t hold your breath waiting for it to happen. Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, said legislators should consider a constitutional amendment that would clarify that an income tax could be assessed on corporations but not individuals. The … Continue reading →

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Going through the couch cushions

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

“Taxes” may be a dirty word, but the Lege is busy looking for revenue in other places. “Right now, there is a tremendous amount of effort being invested in identifying new revenues that avoid being called a tax bill,” said … Continue reading →

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1200 teachers at risk in HISD

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a lot of jobs. The Houston school board is scheduled to vote Thursday on Superintendent Terry Grier’s plan to reduce the amount of money the district doles out to each school, paving the way for layoffs in light of … Continue reading →

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How about a temporary sales tax hike?

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I am deeply conflicted about this. State Rep. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, has filed a bill to temporarily increase the state sales tax by 2 cents on the dollar for two years. He estimates it would raise $6 billion, which … Continue reading →

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Is it time for a statewide property tax?

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. State Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, on Tuesday breathed some new life into a proposal to enact a statewide school property tax to address Texas’ persistent education funding woes. “We’ve never made a change in the school finance system without … Continue reading →

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Three things you can do to help save Texas public schools

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

1. First and foremost, make sure you understand the scope of the issue and how it will affect you. Here’s an email that was sent out by the Spring Branch ISD to its parents: Why should you care about the … Continue reading →

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The business margins tax and the auto repair shops

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Among other problems with the business margins tax, small business owners have complained that it’s less fair to them than it is to the big guys. This op-ed explores one example of that. Mom-and-pop auto repair shops across Texas are … Continue reading →

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The business lobby’s guide to balancing the budget

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Bill Hammond, the president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business, pens an op-ed with his preferred approach to the budget. The main thing to note is right here: The state has $72.2 billion available for general-purpose spending during … Continue reading →

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Are you ready for the next big budget deficit?

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s coming in the next legislative session. Pressed by Democratic senators on the Finance Committee, John Heleman said the state will have a $10 billion structural deficit in future budgets largely because the business tax has underperformed and the 2006 … Continue reading →

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Business leaders urged to oppose “cuts only” approach to the budget

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck with that. Former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby is helping lead an effort to rally Texas business leaders against what he calls a “catastrophic” cuts-only approach to balancing the state’s budget in the face of a massive shortfall, estimated … Continue reading →

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Superintendents speak out against school funding cuts

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

More of this, please. Speaking at a press conference during the Texas Association of School Administrators’ Midwinter Conference, superintendents and trustees urged the Legislature to use the Rainy Day Fund and search for new revenue through fees instead of the … Continue reading →

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The national folks notice Texas’ budget situation

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve probably seen this by now, but just in case you haven’t, here it is. Texas Gov. Rick Perry likes to tell Washington to stop meddling in state affairs. He vocally opposed the Obama administration’s 2009 stimulus program to spur … Continue reading →

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Tax expenditures

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

According to a legislative report prepared by the Ways and Means Committee, Texas is losing over $4 billion per biennium to various tax exemptions and expenditures. One of the largest carve-outs was for the natural gas tax, which totaled about … Continue reading →

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LSG on the budget

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Legislative Study Group, chaired by Rep. Garnet Coleman, now has an analysis of the Pitts budget outline, which you can read here. The main point to remember: How We Got Here: Built-In Budget Shortfall Comes from the 2006 Tax … Continue reading →

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From the “I told you so” department

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, our former Comptroller: Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn did not win friends five years ago when she warned Gov. Rick Perry and state lawmakers they were writing the “largest hot check in Texas history” during a tax overhaul … Continue reading →

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A few thoughts from Opening Day

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few random bits from today’s festivities… – In the end and despite the teabagger footstomping, the Speaker’s Race turned out to be a big nothingburger, which was what most rational people expected all along. There were a few … Continue reading →

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Still more on class size limits

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Real good article in the Press about class size limits and the possible effects of raising them, which I’ve written about before. A couple of points: A famous education study done in Tennessee in the 1980s shows class size matters. … Continue reading →

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Do we or do we not have a structural deficit?

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In this corner, State Rep. Mike Villarreal: In a kerfuffle involving two House members who really like to engage in detailed discussions of Texas’ tax system, Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, sent reporters a letter in which he told Rep. … Continue reading →

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Dewhurst the deficit peacock

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst wants you to believe that he cares about deficit spending. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst warned Wednesday that new federal health care legislation will bust Texas’ budget, saddling state taxpayers with $27 billion in extra costs over … Continue reading →

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Why we can’t just cut our way out of the budget deficit

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For one thing, there’s very little fat, and not much discretionary spending in the biggest budget items like health and human services. Of the $23 billion in state dollars appropriated in the current budget for health and human services programs, … Continue reading →

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Business tax falls short again

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Same story, next verse. The state business tax again comes due Monday, and no one is suggesting it will yield near the approximately $6 billion originally forecast. The tax is expected to bring in $4.3 billion this year. “I think … Continue reading →

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The hole keeps getting deeper

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve said multiple times that even if we survive the 2011 legislative session, the budget problems we’ll be dealing with next year aren’t going away. The reason for that is because we have a structural deficit, as the giant unaffordable … Continue reading →

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What passes for good budget news these days

Posted on March 11, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Sales tax revenue didn’t decline as much as in previous months. In February, the state’s sales tax collections were down 8.8 percent compared with the same month a year earlier. Though still in the red, the February figure looked better … Continue reading →

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D Magazine on John Carona

Posted on February 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting profile, worth a read, on State Sen. John Carona, who’s become somewhat of a radical in his party for actually being old-fashioned enough to try to solve problems and make government work. I think he’s right about this: With … Continue reading →

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