Reducing property taxes for homeowners has become popular in red states. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is backing a plan to phase out non-school property taxes. As a part of his re-election campaign, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is proposing a constitutional amendment to eliminate school district property taxes for homeowners along with four other measures to…
With the government shutdown entering its second week, the blame game is reaching new heights. In the Washington Post, Ezra Klein lists thirteen reasons why Washington is failing. The biggest reason, according to Klein, is that Systems like our own have a broad tendency toward instability and partisan conflict because a democratically elected executive can come…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on April 20, 2010. Comments have not been migrated. Yesterday I looked at the moral premise that underlies the belief that taxation is necessary. Today I will look at an implication of that view–that government is a necessary “evil”. On a daily basis we can observe individuals voluntarily…
This was originally posted on Live Oaks on July 15, 2009. Comments have not been migrated. Dear Mr. McIngvale, I recently read a story about the Greater Northside Management District (GNMD) suing you for back taxes. The Chronicle quotes you as saying, “To me, it’s taxation without representation. If they were doing something that was…
This was originally posted as a series on Live Oaks in May 2009. Comments have not been migrated. Death and taxes, we are often told, are two inevitable facts of life. However, a crucial distinction exists between the two—death is a metaphysical fact, while taxes are a man-made fact. As such, death is in fact…
This was originally posted in a series on Live Oaks in March 2009. Comments have not been migrated. Last week it came to light that the city was considering a plan to help potential home buyers pay off debt in an effort to improve their credit scores. Though that plan was quickly pulled following public…