March 25, 2015 3:37 PM

Texas Senate gives final passage to $4.6 billion tax cut package

Sen. Huffines gets rolled in his attempt to phase out the franchise tax

Following a bit of drama in which a small group of senators who some are calling the “Liberty Caucus” made an unsuccessful attempt to phase out the franchise tax, the Texas Senate on Wednesday gave final passage to legislation to cut property and business taxes.

SB 1 and SJR 1 – the property tax cuts – and SB 7 and SB 8 – the franchise tax proposals – were all passed pretty painlessly except for the first big defeat of a freshman Republican senator who tried to make a play to phase out the franchise tax completely.

When debating SB 7, which would reduce franchise taxes 15 percent across the board, Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, got rolled when he tried to offer an amendment to Finance Committee Chair Sen. Jane Nelson’s bill that would have phased out the tax. Nelson had already made it clear earlier in the day that she was going to resist all attempts to amend her tax-cutting proposals.

By Scott Braddock