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Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need.

The Taxman Cometh (on a train)

What to Know: Austin officials want voters to approve a massive tax increase in November to help fund a $7.1 billion transportation plan. The plan includes a downtown subway system, more fixed rail lines, an electric bike fleet, and other ideas. If approved, a home valued at $362,000 would pay 20% more in city taxes.

The TPPF Take: Austin is in the throes of a government-induced affordability crisis. Raising city taxes by another 20% will only worsen this manmade disaster.

“Low- and middle-income Austinites are struggling to afford the basics. Even still, liberal local officials are pushing a huge tax hike to fund 19thCentury technology,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “Austin voters should ask themselves: Is now really the right time for a massive tax increase?”
CANNON BANNER (22)

Getting Back to Work

What to Know: More and more laid-off and furloughed workers are being told that their jobs aren’t coming back—that pandemic closures will be permanent.

The TPPF Take: The labor market situation has gotten better in recent months, but there is much room for improvement.

“We know what would improve the U.S. economy and let Americans get back to work,” says TPPF’s Vance Ginn. “We must safely and promptly reopen society by ending state and local government-mandated lockdowns. And we must get businesses operating and workers working again, through measures such as TPPF’s Recovery Act.”

A China Conundrum

What to Know: Vice President Joe Biden has been inconsistent in his positions on China.

The TPPF Take: A Biden administration would major in the minors—and miss the big threats posed by China’s policies.

“President Trump is paying attention to the true nature of the existential threat from communist China, while Joe Biden focuses on lesser irritants from an earlier era,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore. “It’s as if, by closing one’s eyes to the threat, one can wish the dragon away.”