source:  newswithviews

By: Devvy Kidd

October 23, 2023

Property taxes have been killing the middle class in Texas for years.  Our legislature only meets every other odd year for 140 days.  Because the House has a RINO turn coat for Speaker who’s in bed with the Democrat/Communist Party USA, important bills (border security, no forced COVID injections by employers, school choice) never made it to a vote.

However, a major goal of Gov. Abbott is property tax reduction.  The bills were passed (GOP majority in House and Senate) except several important ones and that had to be done in another special session over the summer.  A special session costs Texans $1 million bux even if reps and senators only are in session for 2 days or 30 days, they get paid for 30.  Right now, our legislature is in yet another special session.  A lot is at stake, i.e., vaccine liberation, border security.

The proposition that reduces property taxes MUST be voted on because it’s an amendment to the Texas State Constitution.

It is truly disgusting that in my county (Howard) which is red all the way, few people here vote.  A couple of years ago there was a Nov. election for 10 amendments to the Texas State Constitution which affects everyone in this state.  Guess what the voter turn out was for the county?  8.74%.  That’s right.  Even with early voting, less than 9% of registered voters here bothered to vote.  And how many of them hunker down at the local watering hole to  *itch about taxes or some issue but don’t bother to vote?  Too many.

If you live in Texas, get out the vote in your area.  At my urging, our GOP Club is having door hangers made; volunteers will get them on a lot of doors explaining Prop. 4 and why it will only happen if that amendment is passed so get out and vote.

Our legislature had plenty of time to get it right the first time in regular session.  Oh, no.  The morally bankrupt Democrats wasted time with thousands of bills (no exaggeration) for social BS like eliminating sales tax on tampons (avg tax for a woman for one year:  $8.17 – less than some fancy drink at a bar or a Big Mac).  Oh, yeah, that one passed with the help of our RINO Speaker.

Our Senate did great in the last regular session (ended in May 2023), but it’s our RINO Speaker, Dade Phelan who destroyed the session on the House side and is still doing dirty right now during this special session.  And we taxpayers are paying the tab for his political shenanigans.  Phelan is #1 on the State GOP list to throw out in the March primary.

Well, they didn’t get it right on property taxes, but as stated below, something is better than nothing.  My property tax bill in no way reflects what this house would sell on the market – especially now that 30-year fixed mortgage rates hit 8% on Oct. 18, 2023; avg ranges from 7.5% 7.9%.   Mine is 3.2% so why would I even put my house on the market?  I fall into the homestead category in Prop. 4.

Right now, the bite for me isn’t as bad as a friend of mine who lives in Texas.  That couple paid over $14,000 in property taxes last year and no, they don’t live in a mansion.  These appraisal districts are smoking something.

Texas Scorecard did a great job explaining the amendments:

“Proposition 4 (HJR 2 from the second special session): Authorizing the legislature to establish a temporary limit on the maximum appraised value of real property other than a residence homestead for ad valorem tax purposes; to increase the amount of the exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district applicable to residence homesteads from $40,000 to $100,000; to adjust the amount of the limitation on school district ad valorem taxes imposed on the residence homesteads of the elderly or disabled to reflect increases in certain exemption amounts; to except certain appropriations to pay for ad valorem tax relief from the constitutional limitation on the rate of growth of appropriations; and to authorize the legislature to provide for a four-year term of office for a member of the board of directors of certain appraisal districts.

TFR: FOR – While recognizing that most of this relief will not be permanent and most Texans will continue to struggle under the crushing weight of property taxes, some relief is better than none.

TTP: FOR – This tax relief bill will provide very little, very short-lived tax relief, which will quickly be eaten up by inflation, appraisal increases, and governments’ reluctance to control spending and lower tax rates. But some tax relief is better than none.”

An analysis of the other amendments is here.  What I do is print them out, just the Amendment number and yea or nay and take it with me to vote.  Cuts down time at the court house building where I vote early.

The deadline to register to vote is over; deadline was Nov. 10^th.   Early voting here in Texas begins Oct. 23^rd – Nov. 3, 2023.

Talk to your friends, neighbors and relatives:  If Prop. 4 doesn’t pass, then don’t complain about high property taxes.  Other important issues are also on the ballot.  Get out the vote.

For further information see here.