DMN Editorial: Texas House needs to pass water funding bill
Published: 02 May 2013 06:47 PM Updated: 02 May 2013 07:11 PM At the outset of this year’s Legislature, Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus were clear: Legislators must find a way to fund Texas’ 50-year water plan. The Republican leaders were absolutely right, given the state’s population growth and persistent droughts. Now, though, the goal …
Read More
Op-Ed: Economic development incentives must be effective
By John Colyandro & Tom Aldred Published by the San Antonio Express-News, March 29, 2013 Texas’ unemployment rate of 6.1 percent is the lowest of the 10 most populous states and is significantly lower than the national average of 7.9 percent. Our state is also home to the second-highest number of Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. Other states are …
Read MoreStatement on Phasing-out the Franchise Tax
AUSTIN, TX – As entrepreneurs convene in Austin for the National Federation of Independent Business “Small Business Day,” the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute (TCCRI) released the following statement, attributable to John Colyandro, TCCRI Executive Director: “According to an in-depth, dynamic economic study by the Beacon Hill Institute for the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute, phasing-out the franchise tax, or …
Read MoreOp-Ed: Special purpose districts are weaving a tangled tax web
By John Colyandro & Tom Aldred Published by the Houston Chronicle | February 14, 2013 Two recent national studies show that Texas has among the highest sales tax and property tax burdens in the country. Comptroller Susan Combs’ report “Your Money and the Taxing Facts” on local government taxation in Texas reveals part of the answer as to why local …
Read MoreOp-Ed: Texas’ road, gas taxes should not be diverted any longer
By John Colyandro & Brent Connett Published by Austin Business Journal on February 8, 2013 Transportation infrastructure is among the first priorities of state government, and is a critical component of any robust free market economy. In recent decades, however, vehicles have become more fuel efficient and inflation has made raw materials more expensive, causing gasoline tax revenues to grow …
Read MoreOp-Ed: High cost of health reform
By John Colyandro and Tom Aldred Published by: Houston Chronicle | January 14, 2013 Houston Community News | January 23, 2013 San Antonio Express News | January 27, 2013 El Paso Times | January 27, 2013 The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is characterized as a health care reform bill. We will see what effect it has on the …
Read MoreOp-Ed: Good revenue message should prompt tax cuts
BY JOHN COLYANDRO AND TOM ALDRED Special to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram - January 14, 2013 The biennial revenue estimate released Monday by State Comptroller Susan Combs should provide the impetus for significant tax reduction during the legislative session. Combs certified that there would be $101 billion available for appropriations. At least one-half of the estimated surplus should be set aside …
Read MoreOp-Ed: School debt blurs focus of what is important
By John Colyandro & Brent Connett Published by the Amarillo Globe-News on Saturday, November 17, 2012 The decades-long saga of school finance litigation re-opened with a new trial in Austin, with school districts sounding an all-too-familiar refrain: “more money now.” As school districts sue the state over an alleged lack of resources, rarely does school district debt enter the public …
Read MoreStatement: Sen. Craig Estes’ bold tax reform plan deserves serious consideration
AUSTIN, TX – On the first day to file legislation for the 2013 session of the Texas Legislature, Senator Craig Estes (R – Wichita Falls) filed a bill to repeal the Texas business franchise tax. TCCRI Executive Director John Colyandro stated: For Texas to continue to be the nation’s leader in job creation, bold tax reform is necessary. Senator Estes’ …
Read MoreOp-Ed: Texas Cannot Afford to Expand Medicaid
by John Colyandro and Tom Aldred The Texas Medicaid program is on an unsustainable path. According to figures from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), total Medicaid spending more than doubled between 1991 and 2001, and has more than doubled again over the past decade. Despite this clearly untenable cost growth, advocates such as Waco economist Ray Perryman …
Read More
