Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants half of the state’s $27 billion budget surplus to go toward property tax relief. House Speaker Dade Phelan and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are offering more tepid approaches. Yesterday we asked readers how much of the surplus should be applied to property tax relief.
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Here is a sample of the responses we received from our readers.
“Who else’s money is it?” – Spencer Siino
“A budget surplus means that the government took too much of your money. They should return every penny back to the taxpayers.” – Randall Woodman
“Using the surplus for property tax relief is just the first necessary step. School districts are spending out of control.” – Jay Stroker
“The surplus belongs to the people. It is their money. Send it back to the property owners before the politicians spend it.” – Pamela Millisor
“When the list of highest property tax states is shown, it is embarrassing Texas is mixed in at the top with the group of liberal, blue, disastrously run states. Texans missed the opportunity to elect a government to ease the tax burdens on its citizens.” – Steve Crevier
“I don’t expect more than a small token amount to be applied to property tax relief. The politicians we keep electing know that most people don’t pay attention to what they actually do. They’ll make a few campaign promises, then rig the system so they’ll never pass by putting Democrats and RINos in leadership positions that allow them to kill conservative legislation. The House passes something that never quite makes it through the Senate. The Senate passes something that never quite makes it through the House. Then they all get to brag about how they worked for us.” – Alan Higginbotham
“If you are overcharged at a business, you demand a full refund! Not half, not a minimum amount, ALL of it.” – Roger Taylor
“We shouldn’t have property taxes to begin with! It’s ridiculous how bad it is.” – Kathy Villafuerte
“Until the Legislature is willing to tackle reform of the appraisal process, buying down property taxes with state funds is just a temporary fix. Tax rate compression along with escalating property values proves that there is NO meaningful tax relief.” – Doug Karr
“Dan Patrick stood before the electorate at the Republican convention in Houston this past summer and received adulation from about 10,000 delegates when he PROMISED much property tax relief! Should we charge him with fraud or impeach him?” – Rosemary Teel
“A major part of my plan allowing me to retire was to have my house paid off and to have no debt (credit card balances). With that accomplishment, I still can’t live the ‘high life,’ so you get the picture. Yet every year I still must come up with my rent payment (property tax), and I can think of many more things I could spend that money on rather than paying Texas taxes.” – Garry Ludwig
“That ‘surplus’ is OUR money and SHOULD be returned to us. Property tax relief would help the most people.” – Charlene Roberson
“When government gets too big, we lose more of our liberty. That’s why we should always keep taxes low – refund all of the tax surplus back to the people.” – Philip Pizzurro
“Seniors are becoming ‘tax’ poor. Our taxes have gone from $300 to over $3,000! It’s really hard justifying this much of an increase when there is no improvement in local infrastructure!” – Dawn Gerstenberger
“Myself, along with countless other Texans, have written, called, and sent suggestions at the behest of Senator Paul Bettencourt to address this property tax situation over several years, all without solid success. Now, with this ‘surplus,’ it is high time citizens get a property tax break that is lasting and passed in this upcoming legislature, once and for all!” – Robert Finimore
“Yes, we need all of it for tax relief; it just pisses me off that Republicans are just as gimmicky as the Dems. As soon as they’re voted in they go right back to filling their dang ‘pockets.’” – Dave Sommers
“The government needs to stop taking our money through property taxes, except for things like police and fire districts. ISDs should be abolished.” – David Demaree
“The more important question is, how should they go about setting the budget? One thing they should not do is assume every category starts with at least what they had before. Some areas should be reduced or eliminated and some areas should be increased. The resulting total should be no greater than or less than the previous total.” – Ronald Thompson
“I clicked ‘None’ because this shouldn’t be a one-year rescue deal. The law needs to be changed. Texas is un-housing its senior citizens and preventing homeownership.” – Mary Parks
“The entire tax system in Texas needs to be reformed. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is not an answer.” – Wayne Johnson
“I said only half because the other half needs to go to securing the border and re-establishing law and order. Anybody still remember the concept?” – Mike Hudgins
“All the surplus returned or start the recall of all the RINOs!” – H J Bronson
“Using the budget surplus to pay down our property taxes is a coward’s effort at fixing the problem and is like putting a Band-Aid on a severed limb. We need REAL property tax reform, not more political posturing!” – Bill Parks
“Most conservatives in Texas are expecting at least half of the surplus to be returned to taxpayers because the governor has set that expectation. Only two other options are acceptable: return more than half or make a significant tax break permanent.” – Thomas Camardo
“Texans value home ownership but never truly own their homes while property taxes are taken from us annually! Property taxes on our homes are a scourge.” – Harry Hungst
“‘All of it.’ Then, they can go to work on decreasing spending and cutting worthless programs to build back up a nest egg for emergencies that should always be in place.” – Reid Davidson
“This surplus should show everyone that we are all being over taxed!” – John Burney
