HB 135

"🔴 HB 135 – The Exotic Animal Tax Break You Weren’t Told About

On paper, HB 135 looks harmless. It says it’s just “clarifying” state tax policy—making it official that game animals and exotic animals (like trophy deer or non-native antelope) don’t have to be taxed when sold.

Sounds like a technical fix, right? Nothing to see here.

But here’s what the bill actually does—and why it matters:

Texas has long unofficially treated the sale of these animals as tax-exempt under a gray area in agricultural law. What HB 135 does is lock that practice into the tax code. Permanently. No sunset clause. No fiscal review. No public oversight.

It treats exotic wildlife bred for private hunts the same as livestock raised to feed Texans. That’s a major shift.

Let’s break it down:

✔️ A high-end hunting ranch can now sell trophy animals to private clients tax-free—just like a dairy farm selling milk.
✔️ A wildlife breeder auctioning exotic species doesn’t collect or remit sales tax.
✔️ There’s no public tracking or reporting. No transparency. No audit trail.

And who pushed for it?
✅ The Exotic Wildlife Association
✅ The Texas Deer Association
✅ Texas Farm Bureau lobbyists

They all showed up in support. Not a single public interest watchdog testified for regular taxpayers.

Who wins?
✅ Private hunting operations catering to wealthy clientele
✅ High-profit breeders selling animals to elite game ranches
✅ Industries that wanted a tax exemption written into law—so they’ll never have to fight over it again

And who loses?
❌ The public, who’ll make up for the revenue loss
❌ School districts, which rely on sales tax funding
❌ Rural counties, where local voters have no say in how these private ranches are now classified under state law

Here’s the kicker: there was no requirement added for transparency. No data collection. No periodic review. No fiscal trigger if the exemption balloons in size. Just a straight-up permanent carveout for a private industry—wrapped in the language of “agriculture.”

Why does that matter?

Because if you can reclassify a luxury hunting business as “ag,” you can open the door for all kinds of industries to follow. Game birds. Exotic pets. Even non-food biotech.

HB 135 isn’t about livestock. It’s about legal camouflage—and making sure the tax breaks keep flowing without public scrutiny.

This isn’t just a tax shift. It’s a power shift. From public policy to private industry.

Quick ask, y’all—likes help the algorithm, but shares are what get the truth out.

If this bill affects you, your kids, your patients, your neighbors—please share it.

Too many Texans don’t know what’s being signed into law. And if we don’t share it, they won’t hear it. These bills move quietly. The consequences don’t.

It’s not about going viral. It’s about making sure the people who need to know—do know.

So if this post made you pause, think, or get fired up… don’t just like it. Send it. Share it. Say something.

We don’t get transparency unless we demand it together.

🔴 #HB135 #TexasTaxCode #WatchTheDetails #ExoticIndustry #PolicyForTheFew"