The lack of a progressive income tax structure gives texas few levers to ameliorate budget issues without cutting services or raising property taxes. It doesn't help the current governor seems to be pushing city budgets to the brink by also cutting off the property tax lever.
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/08/17/texas-city-budgets-c...
Out of curiosity, why couldn't property taxes be progressive? What stops Texas from having different tax rates based on the value of the property?
It even seems like it avoids a lot the pit falls the uber-wealthy use to avoid most progressive income taxes. Its easy to disguise income as something else. Property, though, is right out in the open. The state can easily audit and value property and send the bill. No matter how fancy the accounting, that bill will eventually reach the person "consuming" that property.
Nothing I'm aware of stops that.
In practice, at least from what I've read, in TX, the largest/wealthiest companies get the biggest/best tax breaks (eg Tesla), and end up paying proportionally less, so it's somewhat regressive.
In Texas, like Florida, you get a bill for all improvements within your neighborhood or development as they come. Just because the tax may appear low on the front end, that doesn’t mean you don’t pay for the same relative lifestyle as everybody else in the United States of America.
Even though all the states have their differences they all live relatively the same, in short, if you are an average person, you pay pretty much the same as any place else. It’s only the wealthy who get to hopscotch and dance over the top of all the bodies of the (working class) below.