Consumers fare worst in tax plans

DallasNews.com | News for Dallas, Texas | Texas Legislature: "Consumers, not businesses, will absorb most of the pain if the Legislature can reach a tax-swap deal in the next nine days.

The last substantive effort to broaden taxes paid by businesses died in the Senate on Sunday, as lobbyists and Gov. Rick Perry fought major changes to the state franchise tax.

That leaves just one source of revenue to make up for property tax cuts as a special session on school finance reaches do-or-die time: Texas consumers.

'The inevitable has occurred,' said Southern Methodist University political scientist Cal Jillson. 'Who didn't know that a Republican governor and Republican majorities in the Legislature would let business off and put the burden on consumers?'"