Texas’ Property Tax System Is BAD…

Follow the path of one homeowner, Chuck Devore, a recent transplant from California as he goes through the process of protesting his high property tax value in 2019.

While Texas state government has done a decent job over the years in limiting spending growth to around population and inflation, especially compared to other states, this hasn’t been the case at the local level. Local governments in Texas—counties, cities, school districts and some others like municipal utility districts and hospital districts—raise and spend more than half of government expenditures in Texas excluding federal dollars. This means local government spending habits have an outsized role in the state’s tax climate.

Fortunately, if Texas property owners believe their government appraisals are too high, they can protest them—though the tiny percentage who do usually hire someone for the task. He filed a protest, received his date and time to appear, and, having taken a vacation day, trooped down to his county’s appraisal district.

To see what happened when he was in front of the appraisal review board, click here.

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