SEN. KOLKHORST DISCUSSES OPENING OF SPECIAL SESSION FOR PROPERTY TAXES, RECAPS REGULAR SESSION
(R-Brenham)
The Texas Legislature opened its second special session on Wednesday, focused on uniting both chambers on a measure to provide citizens with property tax relief.
Lawmakers concluded their regular session and first special session with differing views on how to use a $32.7 billion budget surplus to lower property taxes. The lack of a resolution led Governor Greg Abbott to veto a near-record number of bills, second only to the 2001 Legislature under former Governor Rick Perry, saying they could be reconsidered after an agreement on property taxes had been reached.
State Senator Lois Kolkhorst says the surplus will mean “historic tax breaks” for property owners, but right now it is a matter of what those will look like.
Kolkhorst says the Senate has a “three-fold approach” in its plan, attempting to provide a $100,000 homestead exemption, school tax compression by providing money for districts to lower their tax rates, and franchise tax reduction for small businesses.
Meanwhile, the House has emphasized compression of school taxes in its plan, sending all of the money dedicated to lowering taxes to school districts instead of increasing homestead exemptions.
Whichever method is selected, Kolkhorst hopes legislators can find a path forward together soon.
Recapping the 140 days of the regular session, Kolkhorst pointed to additional mental health resources, a new funding formula for community colleges, extra funding for renovations at Washington-on-the-Brazos, pay raises for State Supported Living Center staff and addressing nursing staff shortages as some of the state’s accomplishments. Her bill restricting the purchase of Texas farmland, oil and gas rights, timber and rare earth materials by hostile foreign entities did not make it through the House after passing in the Senate.
Kolkhorst is disappointed that teacher pay raises have not been secured yet, but the Senate’s property tax relief bill passed on Wednesday seeks to do that by giving teachers an extra $2,000 if they are employed by a school district that has more than 20,000 students and $6,000 for teachers in districts with fewer than 20,000 students.
Personally, I think that primary residence property taxes should be reduced and frozen for those retired. They’ve paid their dues.
And how can they plan for and retire on a fixed budget when property taxes continue to rise to ridiculously high and unexpected levels?
No one should have to pay a property tax on their homestead. Tax the business property, tax the second home, tax the investment property but do not tax the homestead. Replace the homestead property tax with a graduated income tax for every resident. Put a cap on homestead value if you must that is in excess of the median. We have the software to do all of this easily. A sales tax replacement would be stupid as policy still does not tax internet sales like hardstand business sales, yet another failure of justice.
How did such a dumb idea as a homestead property tax ever get started in the first place? Homestead property tax is anti-family, anti-individualism, anti-senior citizen.
This is my last year. The figures are complete. It’s done. The day I have been dreading. Thought, hope, prayed that maybe there was hope. . I’m 69 near to the grave. , but healthy so far.. I’ve paid my bills and live off vegetables, meat is extravagant. Gonna have to move with my sister who’s in diary straits also .Wish I cold work then it would help me. But my back and hips wouldn’t help. Hope my sister is willing, but she’s in trouble to.
I can’t see why senior citizens should have to pay property taxes . Haven’t we paid enough during our life time?
When a person turns 70, they are no longer protected from age discrimination. It has an effect of the jobs we can have. If we are not protected from age discrimination, maybe we could be protected from paying outrageous property taxes on our homes, since we are boxed out of making a living in a lot of places.
I do hope the legislature does do something to help us who have lived in the same house for most of our lives to keep from paying higher and higher property taxes due to high appraisals. People who are buying houses from $200,000 & up know their taxes are going to be higher. So be it. However, I am not selling my house, or buying another house, yet I have to pay taxes on an appraisal as if I just rebought my house! There is something really wrong with this system. We need help and it does need to change. Also, Mr. Whitehead, I hope you will forward responses on here to Ms.
Kolkhorst.
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