The 82nd Legislative Session opened at the Texas Capitol today, and it looks like legislators will have a lot less money to work with this year. Comptroller Susan Combs released her Biennial Revenue Estimate yesterday for 2012-2013 and with expected general revenue of $72.2 billion available, news outlets and think tanks alike are competing to estimate the size of the budget shortfall. more ›

According to Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, the Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday is a new annual tax holiday running May 24-26 in order to give Texans an incentive to replace their older appliances with energy efficient models. The idea is a one-two punch which would ideally save shoppers the up-front sales tax as well as money on future energy bills. (Energy Star appliances use 10-50% less energy and water than other models.) more ›