Senate cool to tax on snacks.

[crispini]

Some tax increases would be smaller or dropped from House plan
Chamber isn't biting on some bits of House school finance plan
By Jason Embry
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, March 17, 2005

Don't expect state senators to try to tax bottled water or add a snack tax when they roll out their plans for school finance reform over the next six weeks. But they might vote to raise the cost of a cocktail.

Senate leaders on Wednesday discussed in broad terms — and a few specific ones — how they plan to change the major school finance bills passed in the House over the past week. Among their goals is cutting school property taxes for maintenance and operation by one-third, which is the same reduction that the House passed.

To help replace those property tax dollars, senators are looking at raising the state sales tax from 6.25 percent to 6.75 percent, or half the increase passed in the House, said Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Florence Shapiro, R-Plano.

Shapiro also said Senate plans do not call for any expansions in the sales tax, which the House wants expanded to cover bottled water, billboard advertising and car repairs. She said the Senate does plan to include an increase in the motor vehicles sales tax.

more...
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/shared/tx/legislature/stories/03/17FINANCE.html

[liberal N proud]

1. Drop the property tax to help the wealthy property owners

Raise the Sales tax to nail it to the low income and elderly!

No Sales Taxes do not tax fairly. If I am making $500,000 a 7% sales tax does not hurt as bad as if I am making $15,000