Texas has the 14th most oppressive property tax system in the nation. But taxpayers seeking relief have an opportunity to voice their concerns in Arlington on Wednesday, April 27th, before a Senate Select Committee chaired by State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston).
The hearing will be held at the University of Texas at Arlington’s E.H. Hereford University Center (300 West First Street), inside the Rosebud Theatre. Citizens wishing to testify will be asked to fill out a testimony card upon their arrival.
The event begins at 8:00am, with public testimony scheduled to be heard around 10:00am.
Local government interest groups are the loudest and most influential forces standing in the way of tax relief. At a previous hearing held in San Antonio, a spokeswoman from the Texas Municipal League could not identify how high property taxes should be to satisfy local governments. To date, far too many Republicans have appeased local governments and their tax-funded lobbyists at the expense of their own constituents.
Texas’ Republican-controlled legislature has largely failed to advance structural reforms. Even worse, the Straus-led House gutted last session’s property tax relief plan in an effort to appease temperamental Democrats.
Reform cannot come soon enough.
Driven in part by a local debt epidemic resulting in ever-increasing property taxes, Texas’ economic outlook was recently downgraded in a study conducted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
A brief list of related reforms can be found in our recent article entitled “Texans Must Speak Loud and Clear on Tax Reform.”
