Senate Property Tax “Relief” Falls Short
“Texans deserve definitive action that permanently locks in property tax relief and puts Texas on the path to eliminate school M&O property taxes.”
DALLAS, TX, March 15, 2023 — Texas has received an unprecedented amount of your money this year. Taxpayers have overfunded the government by $62 billion. This massive surplus should be returned to Texans by eliminating the school property tax.
There is no reason the state shouldn’t put the M&O tax on a definitive path to zero, then phase out all property taxes. If not now, when? This is your money.
Our latest Huffines Liberty Brief analyzes SB 3, SB 4, and SB 5 and will be used as written testimony before the Senate Finance Committee.
At the core, our bill analysis found that SB 3 only treats the symptoms of our broken property tax system while failing to address the underlying disease: incessant growth in local government and school district spending.
Another problem with SB 3 is that homestead and business exemptions, like appraisal caps, cause rates to rise in order to maintain increased revenue from properties with lower taxable valuations.
Texans deserve definitive action that permanently locks in property tax relief and puts Texas on the path to eliminate school M&O property taxes.
Huffines Liberty Foundation President, former State Senator Don Huffines, issued the following statement:
“To put it bluntly, property taxes are immoral. Any policy that keeps Texans from owning their own home, while at the same time forcing renters and businesses to carry a burden from which they get no relief, should not pass. It should not even be considered. I spend my time and treasure advocating for broad property tax relief where every citizen is a winner and treated equally. Texans have options, let’s explore them.”
Huffines further added:
“Texas tax problems are largely self-inflicted. That’s the bad news. The good news, however, is the fixes needed are uncomplicated. This bill analysis charts the way forward through five easy steps:
1) Limit state spending growth
2) Freeze school M&O property taxes
3) Use state budget surpluses to buydown M&O property taxes
4) Require voter approval for local governments and special districts to exceed the no-new-revenue tax rate
5) Enshrine property tax relief in the Texas Constitution
Following this path, the Texas Legislature could cut property taxes almost in half in eight years, or less.”
The Huffines Liberty Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan research institute. Our mission is to advance the cause of liberty, prosperity, and virtue in the State of Texas by educating and equipping citizens so they may hold their elected officials accountable and better informed to tackle the toughest challenges.
