Texas Gov Abbott Aims To Eliminate Property Taxes: ‘We Must Dream Big’!

[Reagan]

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[Unwoke]

5 hours ago, Reagan said:

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I’ll believe it when I get my property tax statement an see that it’s been reduced. Texas has some of the highest property taxes in the nation. He allowed property taxes to be increased all during Covid while he locked down small businesses, keeping them from making a living. He could have at least froze property taxes during all that BS which we now know and I already knew was total BS. 
 

I hope to see this happen, especially for seniors on fixed incomes. 

[CardinalBacker]

My opinion is that it's all smoke and mirrors. 

As it stands, your local government collects property taxes that fund counties, a large portion of schools, cities, fire districts, etc.... all of your local entities.   The state has little control over those taxes, except by mandates they hand down to the entities and the occasional tax relief bill that limits the amounts collected by local entities. 

The plan is for the state to move in and take over all of those funds.  There won't be an "Orange County Consumption Tax Office."  That money will be collected at the state level and you'd better hope that all of those hairy-legged women in the Peoples' Republic of Austin see fit to send some of that money back this way instead of funding studies to determine the gender of trees or whatever.  

My personal opinion is that state government will get the supposedly "low tax" conservatives to agree to a consumption tax while they "phase out" property taxes.... then they'll forget about the "phase out" part of the process.  Nobody seems to understand that those thousands of dollars that they're taking annually will still have to be paid.  I guess the question is whether or not you'd like to pay them as a property tax or a consumption tax.  

Don't even get me started on the fact that consumption taxes hurt lower income people way worse than the wealthy.  Think about this... If that consumption tax sets in, it'll bump the costs of you're consumables that you need to survive.  If a person has to spend every nickel that they earn just to survive, that tax will affect them.  I know a guy whose wife works and she puts 100% of her bi-weekly paychecks into savings... she's literally working to provide health insurance and contribute towards and early retirement.  The consumption tax won't affect her income/savings AT ALL.  But it you are a large corporation like CBL that owns Parkdale Mall, your multi-million dollar tax bill goes away and the only thing you're paying a consumption tax upon is the toilet paper they put in the mall bathrooms.   Does that sound fair to you? 

 

[CardinalBacker]

2 hours ago, Unwoke said:

I’ll believe it when I get my property tax statement an see that it’s been reduced. Texas has some of the highest property taxes in the nation. He allowed property taxes to be increased all during Covid while he locked down small businesses, keeping them from making a living. He could have at least froze property taxes during all that BS which we now know and I already knew was total BS. 
 

I hope to see this happen, especially for seniors on fixed incomes. 

This isn't something that could be done without the Legislature. 

I guess a million plus dead Americans was all BS, too.  

[DonTheCon2024]

1) not happening

2) income tax is the better tax (revenue) method, but that’s not happening either

 

Instead, I’ll be paying a five figure property tax bill for literally the rest of my life. I can afford it now, but not when I’m 65 and retired

[DP#1FAN]

I hope to see this happen, especially for seniors on fixed incomes.  Elected people (both parties) in general have grown accustom to not being held accountable for their actions.

Hope relief comes soon so I can maybe start thinking about retiring one day. 

[tvc184]

4 hours ago, Unwoke said:

I’ll believe it when I get my property tax statement an see that it’s been reduced. Texas has some of the highest property taxes in the nation. He allowed property taxes to be increased all during Covid while he locked down small businesses, keeping them from making a living. He could have at least froze property taxes during all that BS which we now know and I already knew was total BS. 
 

I hope to see this happen, especially for seniors on fixed incomes. 

There are two issues in taxes.

1. How much is the state going to take to cover their expenses?

2. Where is it going to come from.

Taxes can be from income tax, sales tax, consumption tax, property tax, etc. It will be paid one way or the other or a combination, which is how it is done.

Texas can’t use income tax so they have to go elsewhere.

 They could for example completely eliminate property taxes but get ready for gasoline to go up $1.35 a gallon or sales tax to go up to 30% or…..

 

[tvc184]

1 hour ago, CardinalBacker said:

My opinion is that it's all smoke and mirrors. 

As it stands, your local government collects property taxes that fund counties, a large portion of schools, cities, fire districts, etc.... all of your local entities.   The state has little control over those taxes, except by mandates they hand down to the entities and the occasional tax relief bill that limits the amounts collected by local entities. 

 

 

The state has absolute control over local taxes. 

Local entities can only do what the state allows them to do. 

[tvc184]

1 hour ago, CardinalBacker said:

Don't even get me started on the fact that consumption taxes hurt lower income people way worse than the wealthy.  

 

I have said that for years in another forum and maybe a time or two in this one.

An across-the-board consumption tax is a terrible idea for people living paycheck to paycheck and an awesome idea for people who make anything at all more than what they need.

[tvc184]

47 minutes ago, DonTheCon2024 said:

1) not happening

2) income tax is the better tax (revenue) method, but that’s not happening either

 

Instead, I’ll be paying a five figure property tax bill for literally the rest of my life. I can afford it now, but not when I’m 65 and retired

It is certainly a more fair way but the sound of income tax is abhorrent to most people so the people of Texas voted in a constitutional amendment that bans income tax. 

[Unwoke]

2 hours ago, tvc184 said:

There are two issues in taxes.

1. How much is the state going to take to cover their expenses?

2. Where is it going to come from.

Taxes can be from income tax, sales tax, consumption tax, property tax, etc. It will be paid one way or the other or a combination, which is how it is done.

Texas can’t use income tax so they have to go elsewhere.

 They could for example completely eliminate property taxes but get ready for gasoline to go up $1.35 a gallon or sales tax to go up to 30% or…..

 

No doubt, Texas doesn’t have a State Tax but they make up for it in what they get in property taxes. I agree, if they’re able to cut or eliminate property taxes get ready a bend over because they will get from somewhere else. 

[Unwoke]

6 hours ago, CardinalBacker said:

This isn't something that could be done without the Legislature. 

I guess a million plus dead Americans was all BS, too.  

It was total BS the it was handled as for as treatment for patients. Could have been a lot less dead if certain medications weren’t demonized and good physicians weren’t censored from what was working to treat Covid. 
 

Notice during Covid that there were no physician committee hotlines set up to have dialogue on what was working with physicians treating Covid across America. 
 

It was big Pharma and government saying the vaccine was the only way out of this flu. Looking back that vaccine was nothing but BS! Pfizer’s own studies showed that. That is why the FDA and Big Pharma didn’t want to release the studies for 75 years. Go fact check it Jack by looking at the Pfizer clinical trials yourself. 
 

Going by those studies it should have never been released. 
 

Pull your head out of your rear. You’re not getting enough oxygen to your brain to think rationally. 

[tvc184]

13 minutes ago, Unwoke said:

No doubt, Texas doesn’t have a State Tax but they make up for it in what they get in property taxes. I agree, if they’re able to cut or eliminate property taxes get ready a bend over because they will get from somewhere else. 

Yep.

My property taxes went down $500 a month!!

My annual vehicle registration is now $600 a year, my gasoline costs $250 more per month and my grocery bill after the new sales tax is costing me $400 more monthly….. but I am saving $500 a month on property tax!

[Unwoke]

1 minute ago, tvc184 said:

Yep.

My property taxes went down $500 a month!!

My annual vehicle registration is now $600 a year, my gasoline costs $250 more per month and my grocery bill after the new sales tax is costing me $400 more monthly….. but I am saving $500 a month on property tax!

UTAlum would think that’s a deal! Lol

[CardinalBacker]

3 hours ago, tvc184 said:

The state has absolute control over local taxes. 

Local entities can only do what the state allows them to do. 

I misspoke. 

The state has little control over what is done with the revenue generated by property taxes.  None of money collected in property taxes make it back to the state.  If collection was centralized via an income tax, consumption tax, etc.... that money would then be dispensed back out to the local entities in the way that Austin sees fit.    

The scary part is how the "savings" promised in this legislative session are being funded (17b) by roughly half of the surplus (33b).  

The problem isn't taxes... it's out of control spending in local government, some of which is being mandated by the State. 

We were involved in heavy equipment... in the old days, the County Barn was the home of the most raggedy equipment you'd ever seen.  These days the governmental entities have nicer iron on the ground than the for-profit operations.  Ten years ago the sheriff's office used cars... these days everybody has a Tahoe at double the cost.  Almost every stadium in SETX has new turf, big scoreboards, and the schools themselves are amazing... but all of it comes at a price.   When I was in high school, we had a principal, assistant principal, and two counselors for roughly 800 kids.   Today the admin for that same sized school probably approaches 40 salaries.  There were about half a dozen kids in SPED back then... today the SPED department in a school that size probably has 50 kids in it.  Why?  They get more funding for SPED.  

Almost every town in SETX has a new city hall, or plans to sling one up.  Every city has an EDC.  The list goes on and on and on.

 

The problem isn't taxes, it's out of control spending.  

[Reagan]

18 minutes ago, CardinalBacker said:

I misspoke. 

The state has little control over what is done with the revenue generated by property taxes.  None of money collected in property taxes make it back to the state.  If collection was centralized via an income tax, consumption tax, etc.... that money would then be dispensed back out to the local entities in the way that Austin sees fit.    

The scary part is how the "savings" promised in this legislative session are being funded (17b) by roughly half of the surplus (33b).  

The problem isn't taxes... it's out of control spending in local government, some of which is being mandated by the State. 

We were involved in heavy equipment... in the old days, the County Barn was the home of the most raggedy equipment you'd ever seen.  These days the governmental entities have nicer iron on the ground than the for-profit operations.  Ten years ago the sheriff's office used cars... these days everybody has a Tahoe at double the cost.  Almost every stadium in SETX has new turf, big scoreboards, and the schools themselves are amazing... but all of it comes at a price.   When I was in high school, we had a principal, assistant principal, and two counselors for roughly 800 kids.   Today the admin for that same sized school probably approaches 40 salaries.  There were about half a dozen kids in SPED back then... today the SPED department in a school that size probably has 50 kids in it.  Why?  They get more funding for SPED.  

Almost every town in SETX has a new city hall, or plans to sling one up.  Every city has an EDC.  The list goes on and on and on.

 

The problem isn't taxes, it's out of control spending.  

^^^^^THIS^^^^

[tvc184]

2 hours ago, CardinalBacker said:

I misspoke. 

The state has little control over what is done with the revenue generated by property taxes.  None of money collected in property taxes make it back to the state.  If collection was centralized via an income tax, consumption tax, etc.... that money would then be dispensed back out to the local entities in the way that Austin sees fit.    

The scary part is how the "savings" promised in this legislative session are being funded (17b) by roughly half of the surplus (33b).  

The problem isn't taxes... it's out of control spending in local government, some of which is being mandated by the State. 

We were involved in heavy equipment... in the old days, the County Barn was the home of the most raggedy equipment you'd ever seen.  These days the governmental entities have nicer iron on the ground than the for-profit operations.  Ten years ago the sheriff's office used cars... these days everybody has a Tahoe at double the cost.  Almost every stadium in SETX has new turf, big scoreboards, and the schools themselves are amazing... but all of it comes at a price.   When I was in high school, we had a principal, assistant principal, and two counselors for roughly 800 kids.   Today the admin for that same sized school probably approaches 40 salaries.  There were about half a dozen kids in SPED back then... today the SPED department in a school that size probably has 50 kids in it.  Why?  They get more funding for SPED.  

Almost every town in SETX has a new city hall, or plans to sling one up.  Every city has an EDC.  The list goes on and on and on.

 

The problem isn't taxes, it's out of control spending.  

You could have cut that down to, the problem is spending.

Local, county, state or federal or even school districts, once they decide to spend the money, they are going to get it.

 The means of taxing will make the people that bear the biggest burden or maybe any burden. No matter how it is shuffled around, we are still going to pay. 

[5GallonBucket]

51 minutes ago, tvc184 said:

You could have cut that down to, the problem is spending.

Local, county, state or federal or even school districts, once they decide to spend the money, they are going to get it.

 The means of taxing will make the people that bear the biggest burden or maybe any burden. No matter how it is shuffled around, we are still going to pay. 

The problem is definitely spending on all levels

schools waste a lot of money

[Reagan]

Democrats had pushed for providing a rebate to renters, including

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equaling up to 10% of the rent tenants paid the previous year, but it was ultimately left out of the proposal that passed both the Senate and House.  I am sure Republicans took care of us on that one!

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