HB 22

"🚨 TEXAS JUST PASSED HB 22 — HERE’S WHY IT MATTERS MORE THAN YOU THINK 🚨

Most people haven’t heard of House Bill 22. On paper, it looks simple: it exempts “intangible personal property” from local property taxes—things like trademarks, patents, copyrights, and goodwill.

Sounds harmless, right?

Here’s the truth ⬇️

📉 HB 22 permanently strips cities, counties, and school districts of the power to ever tax intangible assets—even as our economy shifts more and more toward digital value. That includes software licenses, data rights, service contracts, and other non-physical property that major corporations use to make billions.

👀 The bill’s supporters say it’s not a big deal because only one property record used this rule in 2024.

But here’s what they’re not saying:

🔒 HB 22 is a preemptive strike. It locks in a permanent tax exemption for the kind of wealth that’s hardest to see—but often worth the most.

✅ Trademarks, customer lists, and licensing agreements? Untouchable.
✅ Software companies with millions in code or data? Tax-free at the local level.
✅ Railroad, energy, and insurance firms with intangible contracts across counties? No longer have to share that value with local communities.

Meanwhile…

🚫 Local governments lose ALL ability to adapt in the future—even if the economy becomes 80% intangible.
🚫 The State Comptroller loses oversight power over how companies report these assets.
🚫 There’s no phase-out, no review clause, and no value cap. This is forever.

And worst of all?

🏫 Public schools and local services get left behind. As the property tax base shrinks, they’ll be forced to either raise taxes on physical property (like your home or car) or rely more on state funding—which is inconsistent and politically weaponized.

🧠 This isn’t about tax simplification. It’s about redefining what wealth is taxable—and what isn’t.

HB 22 quietly creates a two-tier tax system:

Working families, small businesses, and homeowners get taxed on everything they can touch

Corporations with non-physical wealth walk away with permanent immunity

This bill was backed by:

Texas Association of Business

CenterPoint Energy

BNSF Railway

Huffines Libert Foundation

And other corporate lobby groups

Ask yourself: why would they all line up to support a bill that supposedly has “no fiscal impact”?

💬 Bottom line: HB 22 is a quiet but dangerous shift in how Texas defines taxable value. It favors those with abstract assets—code, brand names, contracts—while locking out local communities from ever catching up.

Watch what laws like this make possible next:
➡️ Crypto exemptions
➡️ AI-generated intellectual property carveouts
➡️ Corporate digital assets going permanently off the books

Texas is rewriting the rules of wealth—and if you don’t own it digitally, you’ll keep paying physically.

📢 Stay loud. Stay informed. This is how power shifts—silently, structurally, and permanently."