A pro-life Texas House lawmaker wants to support large families by creating property tax credits of up to 100 percent depending on the number of children.
Newsweek reports state House Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Greenville, introduced House Bill 2889 on Tuesday as part of a larger effort by Texans to support children and families.
Texas protects unborn babies by banning abortions, and pro-life advocates and lawmakers have been working to expand support services for parents and babies.
“Supporting Texas means supporting Texas families,” Slaton said in a statement on Twitter. “Strong families are the backbone and building blocks of society. We must support families by making it financially easier for them to have and raise children in a supportive and nurturing way.”
Slaton’s bill would create property tax credits for married families with at least four children, ranging from 40 percent to 100 percent for families with at least 10 children. These include adopted children, step-children and children who have moved out of the home or died.
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Here’s more from the Daily Wire:
In order to qualify for the tax break, the child must be the son or daughter of two married parents, born after the parents are married. If the child is adopted, he or she must be adopted after the parents are married. A qualifying child can also be the stepchild of one of the parents, but only if the other parent is a widow or widower. Also in order to qualify, the couple must be legally married and never have been divorced. Couples must provide documentation of both their marriage and birth or adoption certificates in order to claim the credit.
In a press release, Slaton pointed to similar policies that Hungary and Poland recently adopted to support children and families and reverse declining birth rates.
He said studies show “children tend to have enhanced ‘wellbeing and development,’ and tend to avoid developmental, academic and behavioral problems when raised by both parents in a stable marriage. Falling birthrates also pose a potentially significant problem for the future as the age dependency ratio rises.”
According to Newsweek, there is no state property tax in Texas, but many local governments collect one. Based on data from Tax-Rates.org, the news outlet estimated that families in Slaton’s district pay approximately $1,170 to $1,420 in property taxes annually.
Slaton said he hopes his bill will encourage more families to have children.
“With this bill, Texas will start saying to couples: ‘Get married, stay married, and be fruitful and multiply,’” he said.
