Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released a television advertisement on Thursday claiming his opponent Beto O’ Rourke wants to raise taxes.
The ad opens with metal machines crushing objects like eggs, fruits, and a globe and then attempts to tie the economic inflation to O’Rourke.
“But in Texas, we are fighting back,” Abbott says in the ad.
But Abbott’s campaign actually refers to O’Rourke’s past comments denouncing former President Donald Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthiest earners and corporations in the country, according to Houston Chronicle reporter Jeremy Wallace.
The ad comes after Abbott’s property tax policies were questioned at the gubernatorial debate last Friday, and reports showed that Texans pay more in taxes than California residents.
According to a 2018 Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy report, the top 1 percent earners in the Texas economy pay 3.1 percent of income tax, while the bottom 20 percent income group pays 13 percent of their income in taxes.
In the 2019 legislative session, Abbott signed House Bill 3, limiting school tax growth to 2.5 percent, and Senate Bill 2, which requires local governments to limit tax growth to 3.5 percent unless residents vote.
Nonetheless, both candidates have two different plans to decrease the state’s property taxes and home affordability.
Throughout the election cycle, Abbott blamed local officials and said if elected, he would use the state’s $27 billion surplus to send rebate checks and restrict local governments’ tax limits even more.
O’Rourke, on the other hand, put the onus on Abbott and the legislature and said his plan to expand Medicaid, legalize marijuana, increase the state’s education budget, and accurately charge corporations would decrease Texans’ taxes.
“After 8 years with Greg Abbott in office, Texans are now paying higher taxes than those in California,” O’Rourke tweeted Thursday morning.
Election Day for this race is Nov. 8.
Kennedy is a recent graduate of the University of St.Thomas in Houston where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Celt Independent. Kennedy brings her experience of writing about social justice issues to the Texas Signal where she serves as our Political Reporter. She does everything from covering crime beats, Texas politics, and community activism. Kennedy is a passionate reporter, avid reader, coffee enthusiast, and loves to travel.
