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Sales Taxes Plummet

What to Know: Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar says sales tax revenues throughout the state are plummeting.

The TPPF Take: State agencies should start planning for budget cuts now.

“Today’s news wasn’t unexpected but reinforces how important it is for the state to cut spending where it can,” says TPPF’s Talmadge Heflin. “Additionally, the state should avoid any schemes to increase taxes in order to make up the shortfall as increased tax burdens will only slow our state’s recovery and prevent Texans from getting back to work.”

The Push and Pull

What to Know: The coronavirus outbreak has reduced illegal immigration levels to their lowest in years, showing that many factors—including economics—work together to motivate migrants.

The TPPF Take: TPPF has a new research paper examining why migrants come to the U.S., particularly from Central America.

“The ability to achieve the ‘American Dream’ and earn dollars to send home to loved ones are substantial push factors in Central America,” says TPPF’s David Agren. “A proper understanding of the factors that motivate migration will assist Central American, Mexican, and U.S. policymakers in stemming the illegal flow of immigrants into the United States.”

Bailout Blues

What to Know: Badly-run and bloated city bureaucracies are pushing Congress for a big government bailout. One media outlet recently reported that: “the rallying cry is growing in Washington to put together an aid package of as much as $1 trillion for municipal governments.”

The TPPF Take: Cities need a shakeup, not a bailout. City governments—particularly in large, urban areas—need to replace old habits and outdated thinking with a new vision grounded in limited government and personal responsibility.

“Waste, fraud, and abuse afflict countless big city bureaucracies. Rather than allow these problems to persist through providing a bailout, Congress should encourage city halls to reexamine everything and service core functions only,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “Cities can right-size their operations using the right tools. Proven concepts like zero-based budgeting, Lean Six Sigma, and efficiency audits should be widely embraced.”