AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation joined its allies in The Conservative Texas Budget coalition today in the release of The Conservative Texas Budget. This report establishes recommended limits on the growth of state funds and all funds for the 2016-17 biennium. The Foundation’s Talmadge Heflin, Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy and Dr. Vance Ginn, Center for Fiscal Policy Economist, discussed the spending-growth limits at a press conference held today at the Foundation offices.

“The Texas economy continues to grow at a healthy pace producing significant amounts of tax dollars. Government spending must be restrained in times of plenty to avoid spending commitments that cannot be sustained. This is why it is imperative that we do not increase state spending more than necessary to fund basic public necessities,” said Heflin. “The Conservative Texas Budget recommends limits on the growth of total state spending so Texas families are protected from excessive taxes and fees.”

“Texans have footed the bill of an additional $8 billion this year alone to fund state spending in excess of population growth plus inflation when looking back to 2004. This breaks down to a cost of $1,200 per family of four,” said Dr. Ginn. “With the 84th Texas Legislature likely to have a healthy balance of funds to spend during the next biennium, legislators will find it difficult to not spend every available dollar. To restrain the burden that funding more government spending has on Texas families, The Conservative Texas Budget has calculated spending limits for the 2016-17 biennium on total expenditure growth based on no more than population growth plus inflation. This will provide the state with funds to cover basic public necessities and, by restraining spending growth, will allow Texans an opportunity to keep more of their earnings.”

The Conservative Texas Budget coalition stands in support of legislators setting these limits on the state budget rather than spending the surplus or dipping into the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund. Members include:

Americans for Prosperity – Texas
Americans for Tax Reform
Grassroots America – We The People
Heritage Alliance
National Federation of Independent Business – Texas
Our America Initiative
R Street Institute
State Budget Solutions
Tea Party Caucus Legislative Advisory Committee
Texas Eagle Forum
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Texas Public Policy Foundation
Young Conservatives of Texas.

 

To learn more from Mr. Heflin or Dr. Ginn, please contact Kristen Indriago at [email protected] or 512.472.2700. 

Read the entire report here: www.conservativetexasbudget.com 

 

The Honorable Talmadge Heflin is Director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Heflin served 11 terms in the Texas House of Representatives and chaired the House Appropriations Committee in 2003, leading the Texas Legislature’s successful efforts to close a $10 billion budget deficit without a tax increase.

Vance Ginn, Ph.D., is an Economist with the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin.

The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin.

Primary website: www.TexasPolicy.com
Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/TexasPublicPolicyFoundation
Twitter feed: www.Twitter.com/TPPF

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