Texas lawmakers introduced a bill on Tuesday that would give tax breaks to healthy families with multiple children.
House Bill 2889 was introduced by Republican Texas State Representative Bryan Slaton on Tuesday. Property taxes would be deductible for married families with four or more children; if a family has ten or more children, they would not pay any property taxes. He said the bill would encourage Texans to get married, stay married, and raise large, healthy families.
In a press release, Slaton expressed concerns about falling American birth rates. Using financial incentives to reverse demographic decline has been successful in Poland and Hungary, according to him.
Among the requirements to qualify for the tax break are that the child must be the son or daughter of married parents, born after the marriage. A child who is adopted must be adopted after his or her parents are married. Stepchildren can also qualify, but only if the other parent is a widow or widower. Couples must also be legally married and never have been divorced in order to qualify. To claim the credit, couples must provide birth certificates or adoption certificates as well as documentation of their marriage.
A qualifying couple is entitled to a 10% tax deduction on their property taxes. Those with four or more children are eligible for even greater tax deductions.
Conservatives praised the legislation on Twitter.
Activist group The Bull Moose Project wrote, “This is the type of legislative innovation we need in government across the board. Restoring the family is one positive step forward to restoring America. Fantastic bill, Rep. Slaton! Let us know how we can help. (And legislators who follow us, take note!)”
Gladden Pappin, senior fellow at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Budapest, Hungary added, “@BryanforHD2 has a visionary plan for orienting the Texas tax code on the basis of pro-family policy. He cites Hungary as an example—where the tax burden on families is also reduced as they grow. The encouragement of adoption is also near & dear to my heart!”
American Moment president Saurabh Sharma added, “Excellent and creative leadership from Rep. Slaton.”
Texans may soon have a creative new way to get some property tax relief – and it’s certainly bigger than what other states are offering! State Representative Bryan Slaton’s creative bill outlines an amazing opportunity for families with four or more children to receive huge property tax deductions, and those families with ten or more children don’t have to pay any property taxes at all! Not only would this help taxpayers with larger families offset the cost of raising them, but it could also encourage marriage and healthy family life in Texas. It’s an incredible solution that will definitely help bring economic relief to many hardworking Texans.
