History Lesson: Dan Branch and the Texas Margins Tax

The Texas Margins tax is an asinine and noxious piece of public policy, as TPPF explained in 2012:

One problematic area for Texas is the revised franchise tax or “margin tax.” Mounting evidence suggests that the four-year old margin tax, the state’s primary business tax, has harmed Texas’ economic competitiveness because of its costly and complicated nature, its imposition irrespective of an employer’s profitability, and its contribution to an overall increase in the total business tax burden. Collectively, these factors are putting downward pressure on the state’s economy and weakening its economic competitiveness among the states.

The margins tax arose in the mid-2000's when Republicans in the Texas Legislature chose to appease the last round of hostage taking from the government school lobby.

Now who, pray tell, helped write the margins tax?!?

Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat's right: Representative Dan Branch (along with other winners like Jim Keffer)!!!

And yes, Ken Paxton voted against it....