HB 3 gets approved by House

HB 3 was approved late last night, carrying many new taxes. Items not taxed include newspapers (a Charlie Geren amendment pulled that) and diapers, the latter of which was substituted by a tax on "elective plastic surgery" - meaning surgery stemming from a disease is exempt from the tax (a Scott Hochberg amendment).

But most of the other regressive taxes were kept. According to today's Fort Worth Star Telegram, the following taxes were approved by the House:

• Sales taxes: Raise state rate to 7.25 percent from 6.25 percent [The highest in the nation once you account for the sales taxes added by local governments]. Begin levying the tax on billboard advertising, bottled water, car washes and car-repair services. Sales taxes on boats and cars would rise to 7.35 percent.
  
• Snack tax: Put a 3 percent surcharge on chips, soft drinks, candy, doughnuts and other snack foods consumed off the premises of a restaurant. Combined with the sales tax, the tax rate for snack food would exceed 10 percent.
  
• Vanity tax: Apply the sales tax to elective cosmetic surgery.
  
• Business taxes: Close business loopholes by expanding the corporate franchise tax or a new payroll tax to all business entities, including partnerships.
  
• Tobacco taxes: Increase cigarette tax by $1.01, raising it to $1.42 per pack. More than triple the cigar tax. Raise the smokeless-tobacco tax to 40 percent, up from 35.2 percent of list price.
  
• School property taxes: Cut by one-third on average, or 50 cents per $100 valuation, and dedicate 15 percent of future surplus revenue (not constitutionally dedicated) to additional property tax relief.