State leaders are pushing a plan to drive down property taxes using revenue from a one-cent increase to the sales tax. They have said the plan would result in roughly $250 a year in savings on a $200,000 home.
property taxes
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Texas Senate approves school finance reform bill but opts not to fund it with a sales tax hike
The chambers will need to negotiate how to give teachers pay raises, whether to adjust how students take standardized tests and how to provide long-term property tax relief for Texans.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Betting a whole legislative session on one big issue
The pieces are in place. There’s a month to go. And the three leaders who bet big on school finance, education and property taxes are in a familiar place, imploring reluctant legislators to take the kinds of high-stakes votes that make and break political careers.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Gov. Greg Abbott, legislative leaders assert confidence as deadline to cut property taxes nears
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen did not close the door on passing a sales tax swap with a simple majority instead of the current approach requiring two-thirds support of lawmakers and voter approval.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: There’s more than one way to pass a tax bill in Texas
Texas legislators have two versions of their sales-tax-for-property-tax swap in motion, and if they run out of time, lawmakers have more tricks in their pocket. If they don’t get the property tax cuts they want, it won’t be because of end-of-session deadlines.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Change in tax bill would let many cities and counties raise property tax levies by more than 3.5%
The revision was made in the House. But the high-priority property tax bill is expected to head to a conference committee, where negotiations could change or remove the provision.
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Texas Legislature 2019
After Texas Senate committee approves school finance bill, House panel advances sales tax increase to fund property tax relief
The Senate Education Committee approved the school finance bill in a hurried meeting Wednesday. The full Senate is now expected to vote on the legislation Friday. Meanwhile, a House panel advanced a proposal to let voters decide whether a sales tax increase should fund property tax relief.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Legislators have a deadline, and so do Texas schools
Lawmakers are in their last month of a regular session, with their priority issues — public education and property taxes — still incomplete. If they can’t finish without a special session, they’ll run into someone else’s deadlines; school districts write budgets and set tax rates in June.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Texas House approves property tax reform bill, setting up negotiations with the Senate
The House approved the bill designed to slow local property tax revenue growth, but made the bill contingent on the passage of a school finance bill, which is still pending in the Senate.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: The Texas House is handcuffing property tax relief to education reforms
An amendment added to a Senate property tax bill ties it to school finance — a signal the Texas House doesn’t want to leave the harder-to-pass education bill behind.
