Why does Texas have a 13 Billion deficit? They are high tax and confiscate/tax 5% of all oil produced?

The state sales tax is 7% not 8.25 and there are no state income taxes. Your 8.25% figure comes from the larger metro areas like Houston and Dallas where they tack on an extra 1.25%. The property tax rate is very reasonable considering the value of home per dollar that you pay. Housing is extremely reasonable in Texas. As for the deficit, it seems that every state is experiencing revenue problems, fortunately, Texas has the ability to weather the storm.