Tag Archives: business margins tax

TAB wants the Lege to quit it with bathroom bills

Posted on November 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The talk is good. We’ll see about the action. Texas lawmakers spent too much time this year debating bathrooms and immigration, and took their eyes off some matters vital to economic growth, such as phasing out the business-franchise tax and … Continue reading →

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House approves bill to kill margins tax

Posted on April 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Dumb. The Texas House on Thursday approved a proposal that would phase out an unpopular business tax that provides funding for public schools. The proposal by state Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, would not reduce the state’s franchise tax during the … Continue reading →

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We’re still lousy at funding schools

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. Texas still ranks in the bottom third of states in spending per pupil in the U.S., with essentially no change in either amount or standing, a new study shows. The finding doesn’t help, and could … Continue reading →

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Budget deal

Posted on May 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What Christopher Hooks says. Texans, you can put down your pitchforks and douse your torches: The edibles you’ve squirreled away in your emergency bunkers can be safely consumed. Life can begin anew. The tax cut war between House and Senate … Continue reading →

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Trouble in tax cut paradise

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What if you propose a tax cut but the beneficiaries of it say they’d rather the money went to something else? Major business groups pushed back Friday against a multi­billion-dollar package of tax cuts advancing in the Texas Senate, calling … Continue reading →

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Bill filing deadline has passed

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Believe it or not, we are almost halfway through the legislative session, and we have now passed the point where new bills can be filed. Racing to beat a deadline for filing bills, state lawmakers on Friday submitted hundreds of … Continue reading →

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We can always pay for tax cuts later

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Item One: Texas House leaders said Monday they can cut taxes by more than the $4 billion initially proposed by their Senate counterparts, upping the ante for the high-profile issue despite other looming big-ticket state needs. “We really believe that … Continue reading →

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Wrapping up the rest of the regular session

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

So as we now know, a special session on redistricting has been called, though we don’t yet know what if anything else may be added later. I covered that last night, so let’s cover what else got done at the … Continue reading →

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We appear to have a budget

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Took them long enough. After days of jockeying and one-upsmanship, the Texas House and Senate each approved measures Wednesday evening critical to passing their next two-year budget. “The results of these two bills together is a good conservative budget, and … Continue reading →

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Abbott is gearing up for Governor

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have two things to say about this. Gov. Rick Perry hasn’t yet said whether he’s running for re-election — but Attorney General Greg Abbott doesn’t appear to be waiting for him to make up his mind. Abbott is collecting … Continue reading →

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From the “Tax breaks for me but not for thee” department

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There are two types of people in Texas: Those for whom the tax code is written to favor, and everybody else. The Dallas Country Club, not a place usually thought of as needing a huge tax break, used a quirk … Continue reading →

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Margins tax breaks passed

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Someone’s getting a tax break. Probably not you, though. The Texas House on Tuesday tentatively cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the state’s primary business tax — cuts that proponents say will keep the Texas economy humming and opponents … Continue reading →

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That’ll just about do it for gambling this session

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Sen. Carona calls the chances “slim”, but it sounds like slim just left town to me. [Sen. John] Carona, chairman of the Senate’s Business and Commerce Committee, said last week he expected to vote his sweeping gambling bill out of … Continue reading →

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It’s always time for a tax cut

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this: With less than two months remaining in the 83rd legislative session, Gov. Rick Perry on Monday called on state lawmakers to find $1.6 billion to give Texas businesses relief from the state’s … Continue reading →

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On encouraging jury service

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

District Clerk Chris Daniel notes that many people do not get paid when they take off work to serve on jury duty, and that therefore they generally choose to ignore their summonses. During the upcoming session, the state Legislature can … Continue reading →

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Here come the tax cut proposals

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

When the sunny revenue forecast came in, we immediately got one crappy tax cut idea, to eliminate the margins tax at a cost of $4.5 billion. The Texas Association of Business didn’t care for the idea, at least at first, … Continue reading →

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The revenue estimate is in

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

And under normal circumstances it would be very good news. Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, laying out the parameters for state spending on the eve of the legislative session, said Monday that the rebounding Texas economy gives lawmakers $8.8 billion unallocated … Continue reading →

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A look ahead to the 2013 Lege

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib previews the biennial hijinks of the 2013 Texas Legislature. The last time Texas lawmakers convened in Austin, they were absorbed with numbers and boundaries: how to make ends meet with a deflated state budget and draw new district … Continue reading →

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Margins tax survives another challenge

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Mighty quick ruling from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of Texas on Friday struck down a challenge by Nestle Inc. and two other businesses targeting the state’s franchise tax. Lawyers for Nestle and two Texas-based companies, Switchplace LLC and … Continue reading →

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It’s usually a bad idea to bet on any kind of overhaul in the Lege

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I agree that it’s a sucker’s bet to think that the Lege will try to fix Texas’ tax code in any meaningful way. Nobody likes having to take votes that may later be used as clubs against them in a … Continue reading →

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Once more with the margins tax and the Supreme Court

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. The Texas Supreme Court could blow a hole in the state’s budget if it finds the business tax unconstitutional, as pressed Tuesday in a lawsuit led by food giant Nestlé USA. “The Legislature can’t violate the … Continue reading →

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Margins tax back before Supreme Court

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another challenge to that unloved tax. The Texas Supreme Court [Friday] accepted a case that will decide whether the state improperly administers its business tax. Nestle USA argues that the tax violates the Texas Constitution’s requirement that taxes be … Continue reading →

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Revenues rise, but reality recognition doesn’t

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good news and bad news, because we can’t have one without the other. The latest bit of positive fiscal news came Tuesday when the state comptroller released numbers showing that business tax collections in Texas had exceeded projections. Comptroller Susan … Continue reading →

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Let’s party like it’s 2007!

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good news: The improving economy and steadily increasing sales tax receipts may mean that we won’t have another budget apocalypse in 2013. Bad news: The Republicans in the Lege will use this as an excuse to avoid fixing the state’s … Continue reading →

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At last, school finance lawsuit number 4

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The fourth and presumably final school finance lawsuit was filed just before the holiday weekend. The state’s largest school districts, including Houston and Cypress-Fairbanks, have filed a lawsuit claiming the public education system is inadequate and inequitable, the fourth such … Continue reading →

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State revenues inching up

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A little bit of good news. State coffers will be bit plumper than previously expected, Comptroller Susan Combs announced Monday, but her outlook for the Texas economy is less optimistic. Texas is estimated to collect $1.6 billion more than was … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court upholds margins tax

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The days of the much-unloved business margins tax may be numbered, but it won’t be the Supreme Court that is responsible for its demise. The Texas Supreme Court turned back a challenge to the state’s primary business tax, saying it … Continue reading →

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More schools join the lawsuits

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Lubbock: The Lubbock Independent School District announced Monday they will join the Texas Taxpayer and Student Fairness Coalition in an equity lawsuit against the state. Simply put, LISD is receiving less money per student because they are one of the … Continue reading →

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Tax reform on the menu

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Lege, which was too busy slashing public school funding to address the structural deficit caused by the underperforming business tax and the too-big property tax cut, will try to address the issue in 2013. “I believe that next session … Continue reading →

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Class size issues are everywhere

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We know that waiver requests to exceed the 22 student class size limit are way up. But that mandated limit is only for grades K through 4. What about higher grade levels? Patricia Kilday Hart reports that those classrooms are … Continue reading →

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Margins tax lawsuit goes to Supreme Court

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Oral arguments for the lawsuit that claims the business margins tax is an unconstitutional income tax are being heard by the State Supreme Court this week. In a lawsuit filed in July, Allcat Claims Service LP , a Boerne insurance … Continue reading →

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Another school finance lawsuit update

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib brings some news about the impending school finance lawsuits. Yes, lawsuits – there are two in the works. The Equity Center’s lawsuit will focus on fairness, attacking the target revenue system established in 2006 when lawmakers reduced the … Continue reading →

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More districts will join in school finance lawsuit

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Coming soon to a courtroom near you. School districts will throw everything short of the kitchen sink into their upcoming lawsuit against the state of Texas for shortchanging public education, a lead attorney in the case said Tuesday. “We are … Continue reading →

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Inevitable school finance lawsuit update

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Duly noted. Superintendents from several low and medium-wealth school districts appear ready to sue the state over its school finance system as early as October. Wayne Pierce, executive director the Equity Center – a group representing 690 districts – said … Continue reading →

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