Texas state Representative Bryan Slaton introduced a bill in the Texas state legislature that would cut the property tax bill of all married couples, especially those with children. //

I’m 100% in favor of the bill because I am biased toward large, two-parent families. And, like Ronald Reagan, I believe, “If you want more of something, subsidize it; if you want less of something, tax it.” I think we’ve gone out of our way to make family formation difficult for too long. In fact, the “means testing” of benefits seems calculated to produce single mothers with multiple children. As a society, we penalize families who prefer to have one parent at home and make subsidized child care available. Children who are homeschooled are, in most school districts, unable to participate in sports, extramural activities or even to use educational programs in the public library available to public school students. The federal tax code bakes in a “marriage penalty” that makes it more advantageous for a couple to live together than get married.

The US population is below the rate needed to sustain it without significant immigration. So in my mind, we should all get behind anything that encourages Americans to get married, stay married, and have kids. //

(c) A qualifying married couple with four or more qualifying children may substitute the following, as applicable, for 10 percent when computing the amount of credit to which the couple is entitled under Subsection (b):
(1) 40 percent, if the qualifying married couple have four qualifying children; //

(6) 90 percent, if the qualifying married couple have nine qualifying children; or
(7) 100 percent, if the qualifying married couple have 10 or more qualifying children. //

(2) “Qualifying married couple” means a man and a woman who are legally married to each other, neither of whom have ever been divorced. //

It seems to me that as long as we’re using tax codes to reward and punish behavior, limiting a property tax abatement to couples engaging in heterosexual behavior is justified; see the Reagan quote. //

Libs: "Oh you're pro-life?? Does that mean you also want to take care of children when they're born?"

Republicans: "Yeah absolutely. Here's a bill that would give tax relief to people who have big families."

Libs: "This is literally handmaid's tale shit!!" https://t.co/S3o9qg5jUa

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 2, 2023