In Our View: Everybody pays

Texarkana Gazette: News and Classifieds From Texarkana, Texas/Arkansas: "Oil industry fighting plan to close tax loopholes

A few years back when he was campaigning in Texarkana, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst dropped by the Gazette to talk with editors and reporters about his campaign. One of the things about Dewhurst that stuck out was his promise to stand up for the working people of Texas and stand up to special interests out only for their own gain.

For the most part, Dewhurst has done what he promised. He's locked horns a few times over policy issues, even with members of his own Republican Party, when he thought the issues were important for Texas and Texans.

Now Dewhurst is taking on one of the biggest bulls in the herd by accusing the state's oil and gas industry of being greedy for trying to stop efforts to close loopholes in the Texas tax code that let some businesses operate in the state without paying taxes to the state. It's unfair to other businesses that have to pay up, analysts say, and also deprives the state of much-needed tax revenue."