State Sen. Charles Perry Moves to Eliminate the State Franchise Tax

LUBBOCK, TX – Today, Senator Charles Perry filed his first pieces of legislation as state senator. The series of bills and Constitutional Amendments focus on fiscal responsibility, reducing taxes, and eliminating government waste.

“As a lifelong conservative and a CPA, I have used my background to audit the government to hold them accountable for wasteful spending,” said Senator Charles Perry. “I am proud to say that this first set of bills will ensure that our government is more efficient and transparent with our taxpayer dollars.”

“Last Tuesday, the people of Texas sent a clear message at the ballot box,” continued Perry. “Texans want government to live within its means and stay out of our pocket books. These bills will help Texas continue down the path of prosperity and remain an example for the nation when it comes to fiscal responsibility and economic growth.”

Below is a brief synopsis of the bills filed by Perry earlier today:

S.J.R. 11 & S.B. 137: This Constitutional Amendment places a common sense cap on state government spending by capping our budget growth to population growth plus inflation.
 
S.B. 136: This legislation ensures the government lives within its means by requiring each state agency’s budget to start at zero on a regular basis. This should curb back wasteful spending and ensure each tax-dollar spent is justified.

S.B. 138: This legislation gives much needed tax-relief to small business owners by phasing out our state’s cumbersome franchise tax over a period of 4 years.

S.J.R.12 & S.B. 139: This Constitutional Amendment creates a permanent solution for transportation funding by eliminating diversions from the state highway fund to DPS. This measure will increase transparency, while at the same time funding the construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure without raising taxes or fees.

S.B. 140: This legislation extends the current sales tax-exemption for agriculture equipment and to GPS services used by farmers on tractors and other farm equipment. This is a common sense bill that will help our rural district by aligning our tax law with the changing technologies in the field of agriculture.