Texas Voters Face Ballot Proposal on Water Quality
If Texans pass Proposition 8 on the ballot next month, they will authorize a possible way to keep the water clean in the dried-out state in exchange for a reduced property tax bill.
The amendment to the Texas Constitution — one of two water-related ballot initiatives (the other is Prop 2) — will lower property taxes for landowners who practice good water stewardship, meaning techniques that maintain water quality and conserve water on their land.
Proposition 8 has bipartisan support and the backing of many environmental groups. In May, the concept was approved unanimously in the Legislature. That’s because it’s ...
Comments (2)
John Brockman via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Taxes go down for some; go up the same amount for others. So who really pays for these improvements over the next 50 years? Those whose taxes goes up. Some counties lose 85% of their market valuation already due to agricultural exemptions. Now they will lose even more.
So much for equal protection of the law.
John Brockman
Nevermind. Now as I understand it Proposition 8 would create another way to earn an agricultural exemption, not an additional exemption. Probably most landowners who apply for this exemption will already have their land taxed on productive value rather than market value.