Other than the fact that local officials have little discipline on spending and growing local government, a big reason you are going to suffer some big tax increases is because local officials know that most of you will not notice.
Understand, the legislature made huge changes in public school finance, by far the biggest part of every Texan’s property tax bill, and one of those changes is a buy-down of local school property taxes and replacing that funding to schools with money collected by the state. [Example.]
We have been here before back when David Dewhurst was Lieutenant Governor and the Legislature did a one-time buy-down of school property taxes.
Local officials can raise taxes and eat-up a good bit of the savings from the change on school rates knowing that as long as the total actual tax bill, across many taxing units, doesn’t go up most citizens will think they weren’t hit with a tax increase.
Remember what happened?
Because city council and county commissioner folk knew most people don’t understand or pay attention to the details of their property tax liability, local governments across Texas raised the hell out of property taxes which ate up much of the savings legislators provided in the school tax buy-down.
That’s what is happening again. Local officials can raise taxes and eat-up a good bit of the savings from the change on school rates knowing that as long as the total actual tax bill, across many taxing units, doesn’t go up most citizens will think they weren’t hit with a tax increase. That is every bit as big a reason for the revenue grab as is the implementation of property tax reform next year.
Right now is the time to contact city council members and county commissioners and insist they not vote to raise property taxes. Contact them now.
Local officials are trying to pass stealth tax increases on Texans
Understand, the legislature made huge changes in public school finance, by far the biggest part of every Texan’s property tax bill, and one of those changes is a buy-down of local school property taxes and replacing that funding to schools with money collected by the state. [Example.]
We have been here before back when David Dewhurst was Lieutenant Governor and the Legislature did a one-time buy-down of school property taxes.
Local officials can raise taxes and eat-up a good bit of the savings from the change on school rates knowing that as long as the total actual tax bill, across many taxing units, doesn’t go up most citizens will think they weren’t hit with a tax increase.
Remember what happened?
Because city council and county commissioner folk knew most people don’t understand or pay attention to the details of their property tax liability, local governments across Texas raised the hell out of property taxes which ate up much of the savings legislators provided in the school tax buy-down.
That’s what is happening again. Local officials can raise taxes and eat-up a good bit of the savings from the change on school rates knowing that as long as the total actual tax bill, across many taxing units, doesn’t go up most citizens will think they weren’t hit with a tax increase. That is every bit as big a reason for the revenue grab as is the implementation of property tax reform next year.
Right now is the time to contact city council members and county commissioners and insist they not vote to raise property taxes. Contact them now.