Abbott urges Texans to support constitutional amendments to help reduce property taxes

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square

With early voting underway, Gov. Greg Abbott is urging Texans to vote in favor of two constitutional amendments that will reduce property taxes.

Early voting goes through Tuesday, May 3. Election Day is Saturday, May 7.

In a video announcement, Abbott said, “Early voting in the Constitutional Amendment election is underway. Get out and do your part to lower property taxes in Texas by voting YES on Propositions 1 & 2.”

Proposition 1 would authorize the state legislature to reduce the limit on property taxes imposed on the homesteads of elderly or disabled residents to reflect any tax rate reduction enacted by law from the preceding tax year.

Proposition 2 would increase the homestead exemption for school district property taxes from $25,000 to $40,000.

If Proposition 1 passes, property owners over 65 and those who are disabled would see $109.67 in savings in the first year, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said.

Proposition 2 provides 5.67 million homesteads with an ongoing $175 a year exemption cut in ISD property taxes, he added.

If Proposition 2 passes, it would be the second increase in the homestead exemption in eight years. The legislature increased the homestead exemption from $15,000 to $25,000 for the first time in decades in 2015.

In the seven years that Abbott’s been governor, the legislature, controlled by Republicans, has failed to meaningfully reduce property taxes, both conservatives and Democrats argue.

A Republican-controlled legislature failing to reduce property taxes, a longstanding priority of the Texas Republican Party, “paints clearly the picture of the ongoing struggle between Republican activists and lawmakers from their own party,” Michael Quinn Sullivan with Texas Scorecard said.

Republicans “delivered a ‘property tax solution’ no one asked for and which accomplishes almost nothing,” Sullivan added.

After announcing he was running for a third term, Abbott released a “Taxpayer Bill of Rights.”

But critics note Texas homeowners in some counties now pay more in property taxes than Californians.

Texas property taxes are the third-highest in the country as a percentage of property value, and twelfth-highest as a percentage of income, Tax-rates.org reports. The median property tax of $2,275 ranks 14th highest in the nation, according to the site.

“Homes are getting a lot more expensive and we’re not getting paid enough to be able to afford them or stay in them,” Democratic gubernatorial candidate Robert “Beto” O’Rourke said at an event in Dallas.

Referring to Abbott, O’Rourke said, “He’s the single greatest driver of inflation in the state of Texas and it’s causing real pain to our fellow Texans right now,” WFAA ABC 8 News reported.

In response, Abbott’s campaign tweeted that he’s “reduced property taxes for Texans by over $18 billion since taking office, while Beto has an established track record of increasing property taxes while serving on the city council in El Paso.”

“Property taxes have skyrocketed by $20 billion since Abbott took office,” O’Rourke argued in another tweet. “As governor, I’ll reduce property taxes for families and small businesses by making corporations finally pay their fair share.”