With all due respect, your last paragraph betrays an insufficient appreciation of what a vile abomination is ANY state income tax on the earnings of folks working for a living. It is precisely such a tax that has destroyed Connecticut any funded its transformation into the liberal hellhole that it has become. Likewise other states enacting such a tax for the first time: Ohio (1971) under John Gilligan, Sebelius's father), Illinois (1971) under some alleged "Republican" "moderate" birdbrain, Rhode Island (1971), Maine (1971), New Jersey (1971?). Which of those states (1971 was SUCH a bad year!) would you like Texas to become? The taxes you reference are applicable in every state (except SUTA although each state has that on its own terms). They are PAYROLL taxes and NOT personal income taxes on wages and salaries.
As LG, what did Dewhurst DO to stomp out any discussion of creating a state income tax????
What are you talking about now?
Dewhurst has had nothing to do and would never have anything to do with creation of a state income tax in Texas.