Taxes

Oncor's "Phantom Tax" Windfall May Become Permanent as Bill Hits Texas House Floor

Oncor, the Dallas-based sticks-and-wires utility, has collected half a billion dollars from ratepayers since 2007 for federal income taxes. But according to a report, the IRS hasn't received a dime. In fact, most of that cash has gone to its struggling parent, Energy Future Holdings, which is march ... More >>

Fiscal Cliff Would Slow Texas' Economy by 1.2 Percent, White House Predicts

Earlier this month, state legislators met in Austin to learn what damage Texas might sustain if the country careens off the fiscal cliff, which is now frighteningly near. The short answer is, quite a bit. As the Austin American-Statesman reported, state agencies stand to lose as much as $1.1 billio ... More >>

Texas Gives Away $19 Billion Each Year to Lure Business, More Than Any Other State

Over the weekend, the New York Times took a hard look at the tax breaks and other incentives state and local governments dole out by the billions to lure businesses. As the magnitude of those gifts has increased over the years, corporations have learned to shop for the most lucrative deal, dangling ... More >>

Texas' Generous Tax Giveaways for Biz Look Less Magical When You Do the Math

Eric has already noticed The New York Times piece this morning focused on Dallas's own G. Brint Ryan as a sort of national go-to fixer for companies seeking generous tax breaks from state and local government. The Times piece reports the hard side of those tax breaks -- the screws put to public educ ... More >>

Mitt Romney Wants to Kill Wind-Power Tax Credits, Which Worries Texas' Wind Industry

Mitt Romney did himself no favors in Iowa when a spokesman told the Des Moines Register the candidate would "allow the wind credit to expire, end the stimulus boondoggles and create a level playing field on which all sources of energy can compete on their merits." In Iowa and much of the Midwest, t ... More >>

The Dallas Country Club is Now Worth $36 Million, DCAD Says. Cue the Lawsuit in 3 ... 2 ...

Around this time last year, the Internet had a collective chuckle when the Dallas Country Club sued the Dallas County Appraisal District, hoping to lower its annual property tax bill. The county appraisers had valued the club's 118-acre property in the heart of the Park Cities at around $15 million, ... More >>

Why There's Sales Tax on Some Drinks and Not Others

Every once in a while someone mistakes Scott for a food financial expert and risks ruining dinner by trusting him to answer to a burning question. Got a question about food or restaurants? Send it via Twitter @scottreitz, Facebook @ Cityofate or in the comments. This question came in by email. A di ... More >>

How Much "Public Financial Contribution" Sylvan Thirty Needs to Be "Feasible"

​The council's Economic Development Committee's being briefed this morning on two projects familiar to the Friends of Unfair Park -- Wynne/Jackson's redo of the old Dallas High School downtown, which we'll get to shortly, and Sylvan Thirty, which is first up.The reason the latter's on the agenda, ... More >>

Read NCTCOG's Long Look-See at How to Fund the Cotton Belt Regional Rail Corridor

​At 1 today the Regional Transportation Council will discuss the doc you see below: the 132-page report finished last month as part of the so-called Cotton Belt Corridor Innovative Finance Initiative, which the North Central Texas Council of Governments touts on today's agenda as "a thorough inves ... More >>

Reason No. 1,397 You Don't Give Your Social Security Number to a Customer Service Rep

​For eight years Youlanda Rochelle Wright worked for Radio Shack as a customer service rep in its Fort Worth call center. Day after day she fielded complaint after complaint about a defective this and a busted that and how do I return an oversized item and what do you mean my 30-day money-back gua ... More >>

More Tarnish for the "Texas Miracle"

New report finds the Lone Star swimming in deep debt.

As Council Prepares to Review Proposed Budget, a Reminder to Look Ahead Sooner Than Later

​At 9 this morning, City Manager will present to Mayor Mike Rawlings and the city council the FY2011-12 budget first shown to media Thursday afternoon; watch Suhm's presentation here, during or after. And: The entire 571-budget is available here for those interested in taking longer, harder looks ... More >>

Urban Land Institute: Dallas's "Bold [Roads] Retooling Could Run Short of Fuel for a While."

Click to embiggen a look at LBJ Freeway in the year 2016. Give or take.​That LBJ Freeway overhaul we've been warning you about gets underway today as crews begin the first phase of the HOV-lane shut-down, between Luna Road and Midway Road. But, hey, look at it this way, says Andy Rittler, spokesm ... More >>

Low-Income Housing Developer Accused of Scheme to Defraud Government Out of Millions

​If nothing else, the Dallas City Hall federal corruption case provided us with a lesson on how you get tax credits to build low-income housing. Which should come in handy for those who want to follow this case filed in Dallas federal court on Friday: Monique Allen and UPCDC Texas, Inc. v. Noorall ... More >>

Sandy Greyson Vows Not to Raise Taxes and Targets Quality of Life In Attempt to Take Back Far North Dallas City Council Seat

Friends of Preston Ridge TrailSandy Greyson (right) with Dallas County Commissioner Maurine Dickey​Back on February 11, former four-term city council member Sandy Greyson told us that she was "seriously considering" a run for her old District 12 seat now occupied by mayoral candidate Ron Nati ... More >>

The Unrepentant Tax-Hiker.

Is David Kunkle's candidacy for mayor a sign that Dallas is headed in the right direction or that Schutze is off his meds?

Atmos Complex Just Got More Afforable

Noah JeppsonAs you may recall, one Friend of Unfair Park got a tour of the Atmos Complex last summer, including this stop in the old Lone Star Gas Building elevator lobby.​I'll leave it to Schutze, who's covered this subject at great length, to explain precisely how Larry and Ted Hamilton wound up ... More >>

Preservationists Say If Perry Kills Historical Commission, He Could Also Decimate Future

Flickr user: Nicholas Henderson​It hasn't been easy reaching a preservationist in this state in the last couple of hours. Or in D.C., for that matter. Not since Governor Rick Perry announced earlier today that in order to save the state some money, he's proposing the elimination of the Texas Histo ... More >>

Top 10 Schutze Columns of '10

​Nothing slow about us, but just when you thought my third annual list of Schutze's best columns wouldn't take shape, Jim's check finally cleared, so I took the time to look back at his fine work throughout the year and picked out the 10 that made me fall in love with him all over again. As in ... More >>

Why, I've Got a Much Better Idea Than This Half-Baked Call for Rolling Back Dallas's Taxes

Zazzle​You may or may not be familiar with Allen Gwinn -- the blogger-provocateur who keeps watch over the public school system and other matters. He has a new website going called taxrollback.org calling for a local version of the California legislation that has helped reduce that state to ruin - ... More >>

Whose Dole Is It, Anyway?

You're a Mean One, Mayor Grinch: Leppert Taking Hunt Out of Committee Chair Not Nice

flickrBut the opposite of this.​I have been keeping my mouth shut for months about this deal between Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and city council member Angela Hunt concerning committee assignments and Hunt's ability to care for her new baby. But today there's a good story about it by Rudy Bush on th ... More >>

Realtor Eleanor Mowery Sheets Sentenced to One Year In Federal Prison Home Confinement

Eleanor Mowery Sheets and husband Nicky​And so the long, sordid story of high-tone Realtors Eleanor and Nicky Sheets comes to an end. Four months after Eleanor pleaded guilty to four counts of tax evasion, she was sentenced this morning by U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney to a year in prison ... More >>

News & Notes: More Tax Hike Talk, More DPD Officers Put on Leave, D's Logo And ... Sports!

Some killer filler this early a.m. before the showdown at City Hall:​Speaking of: Ann Margolin has posted to her website "10 Reasons Why a Tax Increase is a Terrible Idea." (And by "terrible," I assume she means terrrrrrible. Anyway.) Margolin, of course, is among the handful of council members jo ... More >>

Hunt on Why She's For a Tax Hike, How City Will Be Held Accountable and "The Two Toms"

Patrick MichelsAngela Hunt at a budget town hall in late August at Frontiers of Flight Museum​Yesterday, shortly after I posted that budget amendment memo in which eight council members called for a 4.91-cent tax hike, I heard from countless Friends of Unfair Park who said, more or less: "Yeah, bu ... More >>

Guess We'll Have to Wait Till Noon to Hear About Mayor's Plans to "Ease Budget Situation"

From this morning's property tax hike briefing​At 9 this morning, the council will yet again sit down to debate the budget, and most of the briefing will likely focus on cuts to Park and Rec, which is looking to lose around $15.4 million out of its budget in the coming fiscal year (from $64,266,76 ... More >>

Mayor Had to End Tax Hike Briefing Before It Began When He Found Himself Sans Quorum

Patrick MichelsTennell Atkins​Well, I was about to tell you to tune into the tax-hike briefing, which was about to get underway, like, five minutes ago. But then the damnedest thing happened: As the briefing was getting going, there was much giggling. Much guffawing. Then, the briefing stopped. Th ... More >>

After Pleading Guilty to Tax Evasion, Realtor Nicky Sheets Gets 40 Months in Federal Prison

Eleanor Mowery Sheets and husband Nicky​The headline -- and the freshly baked press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office that follows -- says it all. U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle sentenced high-tone realtor John Nicholas Sheets -- married to one Eleanor Mowery Sheets, who copped to four co ... More >>

The First Million Is Always the Hardest: City Receives Best Sales Tax Check of the Year

​When I spoke to City Manager Mary Suhm on Friday, she reminded: As she works to cutgut $131.1 million from the FY2010-2011 budget that's due to council next month, the numbers change "every day." Why, she said, at the end of last week "we got a good sales tax check -- not wonderful, but at least ... More >>

Suhm Doesn't Know What's Gotta Go Yet. She Only Knows This Budget Process Is "Painful."

Sam MertenCity Manager Mary Suhm​"Painful. Painful, painful, painful, painful."That's what City Manager Mary Suhm said when I asked her earlier today how it's going as she works to gut the budget before council's return next month."Painful."As I noted below, I wanted to talk to Suhm about some e-m ... More >>

Dallas Area Rapid Transit's Drop in Sales Tax Receipts Prompts "Review of Operations, Future Capital Projects"

​Dallas Area Rapid Transit's board of directors met this afternoon to discuss the ramifications of a significant decline in sales tax receipts. Originally, DART had budgeted for $387.8 million; the numbers, according to the transit agency, are presently looking $15 to $20 million short of that. Th ... More >>

Hutchison's Press Secretary on Perry's $9 Billion "Rainy Day" Claim: "It's Hypocrisy at Its Finest and Clearly Politically Motivated."

Sam Merten​As mentioned earlier, Governor Rick Perry gave us the Heisman when we tried to get a response to his boasts this afternoon about balancing the state's budget and tucking away $9 billion for a "rainy day," conveniently leaving out that nearly all of that $9 billion and the dough used ... More >>

In the Cedars, Central Dallas Ministries Struggles to Find Support for Housing Project

View Larger MapOn Tuesday, the Dallas City Council's Housing Committee discussed 13 projects seeking low-income housing tax credits, among them Akard Plaza, which is being developed by Central Dallas Ministries' 7-year-old affordable-housing subsidiary Central Dallas Community Development Corporatio ... More >>

Giving History a Tax Break

The Dallas City Council's Economic Development Committee opted to skip this morning's inauguration and actually hold a meeting, maybe because the committee has plenty on its plate -- including, after months of debate and discussion, the installation of streaming-video signs in downtown. There's anot ... More >>

Code-A-Doodle-Do

See how the Woosters roll

Paying the Toll, One Road at a Time

Max Wells Is Old

Sticker Shock

Let's not have that Victory parade just yet

Enough Already

Sometimes City Hall is generous to a fault

Stacked Deck

Giving penny-ante politicians a say over lucrative affordable-housing developments seemed like a good idea--until the FBI came calling

Taxpayers, Arise!

A little-known chapter of the city charter says we don't have to take it anymore

Cain't Say No

Girls and boys of the city council get "in trouble"

The Thing That Ate Downtown

Downtown’s real estate barons are terrified that Perot-Hicks’ slick Victory project could wreak havoc on their own tax-funded plans to fix the city’s core

Agin and Agin

The next city election will separate the good aginners from the evildoers

The Little-People Tax

Dallas tax appraisers can't keep up with Ross Perot. But if you're Average Joe, they've got your number.

Taxing Situation

A tax-protesting CEO enlists his employees in the cause

Easy pickings

In the Legislature this year, lawmakers may find that it's better to give than receive

Get real

Arena shills say only tourists will get soaked by a new tax on rental cars. They're lying.

The new voodoo

Republicans are the party of fiscal responsibility--and, yes, there is a Santa Claus