South San Antonio News

The Texas Public Policy Foundation has published a report that states there is mounting bipartisan support for alleviating property taxes for residents of the Lone Star State.  

The report from the organization was authored by James Quintero and Anthony Jones. It noted that when it comes to taxes, property taxes are “the largest tax assessed in Texas," according to the comptroller.

Roughly half of all tax dollars generated in Texas came from property taxes in 2019 with 4,256 distinct property taxing units. The report stated, "The laws and systems surrounding Texas’ property tax are notoriously complicated, oftentimes requiring a taxpayer to seek help through consultants, accountants, advocates and attorneys."

Due to the multifaceted nature of the laws, taxes are rising faster than the preferred rate of growth, which is addressed as population growth plus inflation, according to the report.

The Balance reported that Texas is among the top 10 states with the largest property tax rates in the country with an annual payment of $4,065.

Last year the Tax Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, reported that Texas had the nation's sixth-highest property tax rate, which was estimated by taxes paid on property as a fraction of the value of homes owned in 2019.

"It’s not a stretch to say that property taxes are out of control in the Lone Star State. As a result, local governments are getting rich while families are forced to make hard decisions," Quintero, a policy director at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, wrote in a March newsletter.

Bexar County's (Fort Worth area) property tax rose 35.7% from $432.4 million to $586.8 million from 2016 to 2020, according to the foundation, which noted that population and inflation rose 12.1% in San Antonio during that period, a difference of 23.6%.

The report also noted that Texas' 10 most populated counties had population growth during the four-year time period.