El Pasoans are bracing for a big-time tax increase.
Earlier this month, the El Paso city council took up the matter of the city’s proposed tax rate which, if adopted, would hike tax bills as “it doesn’t offset a sharp rise in property valuations.” Here’s more from the nonprofit news organization El Paso Matters
Under the city’s proposed budget and tax rate, the city’s portion of a tax bill on an average-value home — now appraised at more than $172,000 — would increase by $193 this year, according to preliminary valuation figures from the El Paso Central Appraisal District.
The expected property tax increase (+$193) represents the difference between the average area homeowner’s tax bill last year ($1,355.89) vs. this year ($1,549.53). Those amounts reflect city taxes only.
One major reason why city officials are proposing such an aggressive tax hike is its needed to fund a big, new budget. According to El Paso Matters “The city’s total preliminary budget is about $1.2 billion—a 9% increase over last year.”
While city officials have attempted to justify all this new spending, the fact remains that the proposed tax increase will hurt the average El Paso family more than it helps—especially as families struggle to keep up with the soaring cost of food, gas, and rent. These difficulties will only worsen if and when the city of El Paso extracts more from property taxpayers.
El Pasoans—and every other Texan—are doing what they can to make ends meet right now. They don’t need local governments to add to their pain by raising taxes and increasing the cost of government. If anything, they need the exact opposite.