President Trump, among others, has made political hay of America’s trade deficit with China. To correct this alleged problem, the President has imposed a number of tariffs on goods imported from China. But trade does not occur between nations; trade occurs between individuals If a Texan buys groceries at Kroger, the exchange is not between…
In recent years, transparency has become a popular political buzzword. From legislators to taxpayers, everyone seems to want government to be more transparent. As one example, the eminent domain reform bill recently passed by the Texas Senate is aimed at making the process more transparent. As another example, a bill introduced by State Senator Lois…
The curriculum in government schools is chosen and dictated by government officials. The textbooks used in government schools are chosen by government officials. The ideas taught in government schools, and the vast majority of Texas schoolchildren attend government schools, are determined by government officials. Parents who disagree with those ideas often have no viable alternatives…
When legislators convene in Austin next week, reducing the tax burden on property owners will be near the top of the to-do list. But no matter what schemes that lawmakers concoct, we can be certain that fundamental reform won’t occur. Government schools in Texas are funded primarily through property taxes. State officials will be faced…
If someone broke into your home and stole your jewelry, electronics, cash, and anything else that is yours, you would regard his action as theft. He took your property without your consent. The principle doesn’t change just because the actor has a government badge and doesn’t literally break into your home. Taxation takes your money…
Though the 2019 legislative session will not convene until January, legislators have already filed hundreds of bills for consideration. One of those bills was filed by Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, and proposes a constitutional amendment requiring the state to fund at least 50 percent of the cost of government schools. The purported purpose of…
“Avarice,” states a recent editorial in the Houston Chronicle, “is just a politer way of describing greed, which seems to be the fuel behind President Trump’s idea to bypass Congress to give yet another tax break to wealthy investors like himself.” And taxation is just a politer way of describing legalized theft. The editorial goes…
Advocates of tariffs and other trade barriers often claim that their goal is “fair trade.” If another country imposes tariffs on American products, the argument goes, it is only fair for the American government to impose tariffs on products from that country. But this argument ignores a simple fact: trade does not occur between nations….
A recent report by the Texas Public Policy Foundation suggests that property taxes for education could be cut in half in as little as eleven years. The proposal calls for a combination of reducing the growth in spending and increasing other taxes (such as the state sales tax). But increasing other taxes simply shifts the…
One of the rallying cries of the American Revolution was “taxation without representation.” While American colonialists took up arms against the world’s greatest military power in this cause, today’s Americans (and many others) often pay exorbitant taxes with nary a protest. If you stay in a hotel, you are subject to a hotel/hospitality tax that…
To “celebrate” Tax Day 2018, I am offering a free download of “Government Without Taxation” from my book Individual Rights and Government Wrongs. In this chapter, I examine why it is both moral and practical to finance government through voluntary means. While many believe that government can only be financed through coercive taxation–by forcing individuals…
On Monday, Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle threatened to revoke a sales tax exemption on jet fuel for airlines after Delta and United withdrew discounts for members of the National Rifle Association (NRA). Cagle tweeted: I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship…