New Texas Law Boosts Transparency For Local Tax Incentives

The Texas state comptroller will create a database of economic development agreements between local governments and businesses that may include tax incentives for online retailers under a bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Thursday.

The new law (H.B. 2404) will increase transparency with a central list of the agreements published on the comptroller’s website, according to author Rep. Morgan Meyer (R).Gathering the information is part of a larger debate about whether Texas should change the way it allocates local sales tax revenue that some cities leverage in the agreements.

Many cities and counties use ...