Republicans in Texas sent a message to their party that they want to remove property taxes in the state, after a vast majority voted yes to a proposition during Tuesday’s primary on whether the state “should eliminate all property taxes without increasing Texans’ overall tax burden.”
Over 77 percent of Texas Republicans agreed with the property tax proposal, as of 11:30 p.m. ET, according to the Texas Secretary of State website.
Texas does not have state property taxes. But local governments do collect some revenue from residents, according to the state comptroller, which goes toward funding social services.
The ballot question, among 13 approved by the State Republican Executive Committee, came amid the electorate in the state approving an $18 billion property tax proposal approved by the Governor Greg Abbott. Cuts in the new law include impacts on the so-called homestead exemption, which raised the value that property owners can erase from their home from $40,000 to $100,000. Other measures included in the Property Tax Relief Act are caps on residential and commercial properties.
But some residents in the state still lament what they say are elevated property taxes in the state.
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Residents in Texas pay an effective tax rate of about 1.7 percent, one of the highest in the country, according to Rocket Mortgage. A median list price for a home is close to $285,000, with average annual property taxes of nearly $4,800.
During Tuesday’s vote, Texas Republican voters told their party leaders they want to eliminate property taxes. The question was posed to Republican primary voters as a way to help shape the GOP’s legislative priorities. Since it wasn’t an official ballot initiative, it won’t immediately change the property tax system in Texas, but could put pressure on legislators.
Part of the push for tax cuts in the state is spurred by the state’s massive budget surplus that has hit record levels of $33 billion, according to The Texas Tribune.
“It’s fantastic to see the public finally getting the property tax reduction they have always wanted and deserved. It’s great to give people their money back from excess budget collections,” Houston Republican Senator Paul Bettencourt told the publication in November, after the approval of the Property Tax Relief Act.
Republicans in Texas are vociferously against property taxes, calling it the “most immoral method of taxation levied on Texans” and claim that “property valuations are rising at a rapid pace and increasing the overall tax burden on homeowners.”
They want voters to erase it.
“Property taxes create a crushing burden on Texans and preclude true property ownership. I look forward to seeing Texas adopt a more equitable consumption tax as a replacement for the property tax,” James Dickey, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, has said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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