The Republican-controlled Texas legislature has promised tax cuts. The Texas Senate pegged their cuts at $4.6 billion, which would come from reforms of business taxes as well as local property tax. One piece of legislation--SB 182--would cap the percentage a county could tax residents at four percent, and the outcry from cities and counties has been loud.
Mayors and county judges from across Texas arrived in Austin to speak in opposition to the propsed cap, but never got the chance. Sen. Paul Bettencourt pulled the bill from consideration when State Comptroller, Paul Heger, informed him that his office was unable to calculate the fiscal impact his legislation would have on the state.
Cities and counties say the cap would arbitrarily restrict the ability of local governments to react in real time to unpredictable problems, or adequately fund services like police in fire in boom times.
Proponents argue that the property taxes in Texas are too high. An analysis in 2013 by the Washington Post found that some areas in Texas pay some of the highest property taxes in the country.
Guests:
- Bennett Sandlin, Executive Director of the Texas Municipal League
- Nelson Wolff, Bexar County Judge
- John Kennedy, Senior Analyst at Texas Taxpayers and Research Association
