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The Blast: Reducing the appraisal burden [1]

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Date: 2023-07 

THE HOUSE HOLDS A HEARING

Today in the Texas Legislature, it was all about reducing the burden of property tax appraisal increases.



After the House and Senate each gaveled in and out for yet another extended weekend, House Speaker Dade Phelan’s Select Study Committee on Sustainable Property Tax Relief held its inaugural meeting for several hours. The super special study panel, led by House property tax pointman Morgan Meyer, R-University Park, heard only invited testimony on “methods to reduce the tax burden of appraisal increases on all real property.”



It’s a carefully calculated approach from the House, which has maintained a compression-only plan for reducing property taxes in the first and second special sessions but which initially suggested lowering the appraisal cap as its property tax solution.



Some members are still holding out hope that a lower appraisal cap will make its way into a final agreement. Just when it looked like the House and Senate had reached a deal in the final weekend of the regular session, the Senate rejected the House’s last-minute compromise, which included lowering the appraisal cap.



Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. Paul Bettencourt — the Senate tax man and a former Harris County tax collector — have steadfastly opposed lowering the appraisal cap, calling it pointless from a tax-saving perspective. But speaking today, Meyer said limiting appraisals would provide stability and predictability for businesses and homeowners.



“The speaker formed a select committee to look at the property tax system as a whole with a special emphasis on the impact of appraisal increases,” Meyer said, kicking off the meeting. “I hope we’ll be able to shed light on a few fundamental issues.”



The panel heard testimony from the comptroller’s property tax assistance division, the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts and more.



In one key moment, delivered by Brent South of the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts, South explained that halving appraisals would just result in entities raising their tax rates to compensate.



“What do you think the impact would be when you receive your tax bill?” South posed for lawmakers. “It would be nothing because of the way that the laws work for truth in taxation.”

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[1] Url: https://mailchi.mp/texastribune/the-blast-reducing-the-appraisal-burden

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