73R10820 MPC-D By Eckels, Earley, et al. H.C.R. No. 143 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, The national administration's budget proposal for 1-2 fiscal year 1994 includes a federal energy tax provision based on 1-3 energy content as measured in British thermal units (BTUs); and 1-4 WHEREAS, The tax would be imposed at a basic rate of 25.7 1-5 cents per million BTUs, with an additional tax imposed on refined 1-6 petroleum products at the basic rate plus a 34.2 cents per million 1-7 BTUs supplemental rate; and 1-8 WHEREAS, To be phased in over a three-year period and indexed 1-9 for inflation, this proposal differs from current motor fuels tax 1-10 policy in that it does not exempt state and local governments from 1-11 taxation; and 1-12 WHEREAS, Should the proposal be approved by the United States 1-13 Congress, the administration estimates the BTU energy tax would 1-14 cost $110 a year for every American or $440 a year for a family of 1-15 four; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Texas, as a petroleum producing state, would be 1-17 especially burdened by the BTU tax; the Railroad Commission of 1-18 Texas estimates that the BTU tax will cost Texans an additional $54 1-19 million a day, with the state bearing 12 percent of the total 1-20 United States tax burden; and 1-21 WHEREAS, The proposed energy tax would increase both the cost 1-22 of fuel and the cost of virtually every product and service that 1-23 requires energy to produce or perform, creating disastrous economic 1-24 consequences for the State of Texas and the nation as a whole; and 2-1 WHEREAS, In addition to placing a tremendous drag on the 2-2 economy, the proposed energy tax could destroy American jobs, make 2-3 United States companies and workers less competitive, and impose an 2-4 unfair burden on lower- and middle-income families who spend 2-5 relatively more of their income on energy than higher-income 2-6 families; now, therefore, be it 2-7 RESOLVED, That the 73rd Legislature of the State of Texas 2-8 hereby urge the Congress of the United States not to adopt the 2-9 administration's proposed BTU energy tax; and, be it further 2-10 RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official 2-11 copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to 2-12 the speaker of the house of representatives and president of the 2-13 senate of the United States Congress, and to all members of the 2-14 Texas delegation to the congress with the request that it be 2-15 officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the 2-16 Congress of the United States of America.