12/15/06   Property Tax Cap II

In Pauken backs sales price disclosures (Wednesday, December 13, 2006 by Terrence Stutz / The Dallas Morning News), the chairman of the state panel on property tax appraisals is quoted as supporting a 5% cap on local governments spending in conjunction with the mandatory disclosure of the sales price on real estate.  This cap could only be exceeded with a voter approval.  A supper majority of 65% as opposed to a simple majority?

In addition, the article states that Tyler State Rep. Kevin Eltife would give the voters an option of a ? cent increase in sales tax in exchange for a smaller cap on property values.

Let me remind the REPUBLICAN controlled legislature that this year during your PRIMARY ELECTION the VOTERS approved several non-binding referendums that included a CAP OF 5% ON INCREASES IN APPRAISAL VALUATIONS. This was approved by the VOTERS -- the same ones who elected you to office.

It would be even better to have a 5% cap on the total end tax bill that one pays from year to year.  I would like to see this coupled with a prohibition against local governments granting tax abatements to developers who should not be looking toward the public for financing their investments.

I note with amazement that the main opposition to homeowners getting any relief from ever increasing tax bills are ?The Texas Municipal League? and ?The Texas Association of Counties?.  Both represent governmental taxing agencies that would be forced to show some modicum of restraint on spending.

I can hear local governments now: ?Oh, no, we would have to be responsible in our projects, and we would not be able to grant all of those abatements to  developers (who own us).  We would have to watch our spending and PLAN for things that citizens really need, rather than eating a diet of just desert (suspension bridges, hanging gardens over Woodall Rogers, parks with silhouettes of city counsel members, DISD spending scandals and administrative lapses etc.).  We would have to eat our vegetables instead (providing police protection, repair and infrastructure maintenance).?

I sure do hope these groups are not using public monies in their lobbying like I seem to remember occurred during their opposition to the Republican primary mandate of a 5% cap of appraisals during the special session on school finance and tax relief of this summer.

I noted with a great deal of humor the municipal leagues' solution to overtaxing is to have the public (who in most cases can?t even name their US Senators or Congressman, let alone their State Senator or Representative or any local officials) vote offenders out of office.  This is truly farcical in light of the low voter turnout and general voter apathy.  It's the same apathy that occurs when the appraisal districts raise land values on whole neighborhoods and then sit back and watch as only a handful of citizens protest with even a smaller percentage successfully navigating the intimidating waters of protesting their appraisal.

They embrace the same logic that the US Congress exhibits when they get their automatic pay increases that occur too frequently. 

Give us our tax relief without smoke and mirrors or empty solutions that are unworkable.

Cap the property values at 5%.  Or even better, cap the end bills we pay at no more than 5% per year as Republican voters said last Spring.

David W. Tuthill