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In a time of passwords and MFA and hackers and spam, be aware of the latest scam!

TikTok · Allie Jasinski | Consumer News 20.1K likes, 150 comments. “This scam could trick you into downloading malware onto your computer”

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16m1GNPRA3/?mibextid=wwXIfr

EPISODE 4: STOP CUTTING TAXES?

“Why are you cutting taxes if you're struggling financially? Why cut taxes when you need more money?”

You’ll hear this question often during election season—and it’s a fair one. But the answer is straightforward once you understand how school district taxes actually work in Texas.

School districts don’t collect a single “school tax.” They collect two separate taxes, and the money from each can only be used for specific purposes:

• Maintenance & Operations (M&O) Tax — This funds day-to-day operations: teacher and staff salaries, utilities, classroom supplies, transportation, and other ongoing expenses needed to run schools every year.

• Interest & Sinking (I&S) Tax — This pays off debt from voter-approved bonds, which finance long-term capital projects like new buildings, roofs, buses, and major renovations.

Key point: Texas law prohibits moving money between these two pots. M&O funds cannot be used to pay debt, and I&S funds cannot be used for daily operations. Transferring between them would be illegal.

So why is GCISD reducing the overall tax rate (for the seventh consecutive year, as of the 2025 adoption) even as some claim the district faces financial challenges?

The simple answer: The reductions are coming from the I&S tax rate, as the district pays down or refinances debt. As bonds are retired or savings are realized (for instance, through refinancing that saved GCISD over $12 million recently), less revenue is needed for debt service. This allows the board to safely lower the I&S rate—returning money directly to taxpayers—without touching the M&O side.

Lowering I&S does not reduce funds available for classrooms, teachers, or operations. Instead, it’s responsible financial stewardship.

When someone says, “They’re cutting taxes while claiming to struggle financially,” the accurate response is: They’re lowering the debt-service portion of your taxes because the district has managed its bonds well and is reducing what it owes. That money was never available for daily operations anyway—so these cuts do not impact the district’s ability to fund schools today.

This is good governance, not mismanagement. It benefits taxpayers without compromising education.

And once again, the person asking you to answer this question is either misinformed or is misleading. No matter which, always question what they say next.

Stay tuned and stay informed!

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/treasury-irs-provide-guidance-for-individuals-who-received-tips-or-overtime-during-tax-year-2025

Treasury, IRS provide guidance for individuals who received tips or overtime during tax year 2025 | Internal Revenue Service IR-2025-114, Nov. 21, 2025 — The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service today issued guidance for workers eligible to claim the deduction for tips and for overtime compensation for tax year 2025.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tax+brackets+2025&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari =ChxjMe

🔎 tax brackets 2025 - Google Search

https://www.usbank.com/wealth-management/financial-perspectives/financial-planning/tax-brackets.html

Tax Laws and Tax Brackets 2025 | U.S. Bank Review adjustments to tax brackets and tax rules, deductions and retirement contributions to help inform your tax planning.

Happy Holidays!

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-to-phase-out-paper-tax-refund-checks-starting-with-individual-taxpayers

IRS to phase out paper tax refund checks starting with individual taxpayers | Internal Revenue Service IR-2025-94, Sept. 23, 2025 — The Internal Revenue Service, working with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, today announced that paper tax refund checks for individual taxpayers will be phased out beginning on Sept. 30, 2025, as required by Executive Order 14247, to the extent permitted by law.

https://www.usbank.com/wealth-management/financial-perspectives/financial-planning/tax-brackets.html

Tax Laws and Tax Brackets 2025 | U.S. Bank Discover the key tax changes for 2025, including adjustments to tax brackets, deductions and retirement contributions, plus insights into expiring TCJA provisions.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2025/04/09/acting-irs-commissioner-to-resign-after-agency-reaches--agreement-to-share-immigrant-tax-data/

Acting IRS Commissioner To Resign After Agency Reaches Agreement To Share Immigrant Tax Data Melanie Krause, the acting commissioner of the IRS, is leaving her position after the tax agency reached an agreement to share immigrant tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-not-issuing-fines-or-penalties-connection-beneficial-ownership #:~:text=WASHINGTON%E2%80%93%E2%80%93Today%2C%20FinCEN%20announced,Act%20by%20the%20current%20deadlines.

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p2105.pdf

www.irs.gov

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/irs-plans-audit-increase-who-will-be-targeted/ =https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&cap=swipe,education&webview=1&dialog=1&viewport=natural&visibilityState=prerender&prerenderSize=1&viewerUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Famp%2Fs%2Fwww-cbsnews-com.cdn.ampproject.org%2Fc%2Fs%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Firs-plans-audit-increase-who-will-be-targeted%3Fusqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%25253D&_kit=1

IRS says its number of audits is about to surge. Here's who the agency is targeting. The IRS is tapping Inflation Reduction Act funding to hire more agents and go after more tax cheats. Here's where it is focusing.