Property tax relief has become a biennial tradition for Texans. Every two years, lawmakers set out to reduce property taxes, and this year was no different. But as fast as state lawmakers lower taxes, local officials seem to find ways around it by increasing spending or using loopholes in state law, like Harris County did last year. That is leading to growing calls for Texas to get off the property tax merry-go-round once and for all.
Florida is now looking to abolish property taxes altogether, prompting some critics to ask why Texas can't do this as well. The answer is we can, but our leaders don't yet have the political will to do so. "There is a path forward to replace the property tax with a reform sales tax," says James Quintero, analyst with the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF). "If Texas were to transition to a reform sales tax, then property owners would finally be able to own their homes and businesses...which currently is not possible."
Since wiping out property taxes completely in one act is unlikely, Quintero and other anti-property tax advocates are pushing the legislature to continue reducing tax rates by using surplus funds to buy down taxes until they eventually reach zero. Quintero notes that process could take several years, but voters at the local level can do their part to help speed it up. "What every Texan ought to be doing is encouraging their city, county, and school district officials to not only spend less, but to also adopt a no-new-revenue tax rate," he tells KTRH. "Because until we can get our local elected officials to exercise some level of fiscal discipline, it's going to be much harder at the legislative level to eliminate property taxes."