Texas Tax Reform Commission to Hold Hearing in Texarkana

AUSTIN – The Texas Tax Reform Commission will meet Tuesday, Feb. 7, in Texarkana to gather recommendations on how to reform the state tax structure.

The hearing is part of a series of public hearings the commission is holding across the state to gather input from Texans on how to modernize the tax structure and reduce property taxes. The public is invited to participate.

The 24-member, bi-partisan commission was created by Gov. Rick Perry in September 2005. It is chaired by former Texas comptroller John Sharp. Since the commission’s creation, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled the state’s current school property tax structure unconstitutional and has given lawmakers until June 1 to devise a different tax system and lower school property taxes.

The governor has outlined five key principles to guide the commission’s deliberations on tax reforms. Perry said our new tax structure must be fair, broad-based, modern, understandable to taxpayers and competitive with other states “so that Texas can continue to attract jobs by maintaining the best business climate in America.”

Details of the Texarkana meeting and later meetings of the commission are as follows:

Tuesday, Feb. 7

- 5:00 p.m. – Texarkana
- Texas Tax Reform Commission to hold public hearing.
- Stillwell Humanities Theatre
- In the Stillwell Humanities Building
- Texarkana College Campus
- 2500 North Robison Road
- Texarkana, TX 75501

Monday, Feb. 13

- 10:00 a.m. – Abilene
- Texas Tax Reform Commission to hold public hearing.
- Johnson Building (south-central area of campus close to Cedar Street)
- Hardin-Simons University
- 2200 North Hickory Street
- Abilene, TX 79601

Tuesday, Feb. 21

- 10:00 a.m. – Nacogdoches
- Texas Tax Reform Commission to hold public hearing.
- Location TBD

Tuesday, Feb. 28

- 10:00 a.m. – Midland
- Texas Tax Reform Commission to hold public hearing.
- Location TBD