Houston Democrats

AUSTIN -- Texas House Democratic Leaders wasted no time blasting House Bill 3, the $7 billion Republican tax bill that passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee this afternoon. All five Republican members of the committee voted for the tax bill, while the four Democratic members of the committee voted against it.

"The $7 billion Republican tax bill will raise taxes on the vast majority of hard-working Texans to give huge tax cuts to only the wealthiest property owners without putting any real new dollars into public school classrooms," said state Rep. Jim Dunnam, House Democratic Leader. "I do not believe the members of the Democratic Caucus are interested in supporting an unfair, unbalanced tax bill that does nothing for public education."

The center point of the Republican tax bill is a 16 percent increase in the sales tax. This Republican tax bill will give Texas the highest state sales tax in the nation.

"I do not understand why my Republican colleagues are so intent on making hard-working Texans pay the highest state sales tax in the nation," said State Rep. Garnet Coleman. "House Democrats have continually opposed any increase to this extremely regressive tax. If we are going to be asked to raise taxes, we need to do something for public education, not multimillionaires."

In addition to giving Texas the highest state sales tax in the nation, the Republican tax bill will expand the sales tax to include computer repairs and maintenance, car repairs and bottled water. The Republican tax bill will also tax motor vehicle and boat sales at 7.35 percent, raise the cigarette tax by $1.00 per pack and increase taxes on tobacco.

"The Republican tax bill passed today is nothing more than a tax shift from a few wealthy property owners to the vast majority of hard-working Texans," said state Rep. Pete P. Gallego. "This $7 billion Republican tax bill is not a good bill for Texas or Texans."