AUSTIN – Texans voted in November for property tax relief by increasing the homestead exemption for school district property taxes. To examine the voters’ decision and what should be done in the interim and next legislative session to alleviate property taxes, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Local Governance will host the panel “Breaking Point: Texas Property Tax Problem and Finding a Fix” at the 14th Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature on Thursday, January 7, 2016 at 9:30 am CST at the Hilton Austin Hotel in Meeting Salon K.
“Property taxes do not allow flexibility in the face of financial hardship, pushing many Texans to a breaking point,” said Allegra Hill, policy analyst for the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Local Governance. “Research shows that from 2000 to 2013, Texans’ property tax burden grew by more than 101 percent. By comparison, population and inflation increased just 70.3 percent over the same period. This disproportionate rise in property taxes is making it harder and harder to own a home or run a brick-and-mortar business.”
Panelists include:
- Chairman Dennis Bonnen, Texas House of Representatives
- Cheryl Johnson, County Tax Assessor Collector, Galveston County Tax Office
- Dick Lavine, Senior Fiscal Analyst, Center for Public Policy Priorities
- Ellen Troxclair, Austin City Council Member
- James Quintero, Director, Center for Local Governance, Texas Public Policy Foundation (Moderator)
For over thirteen years, the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Policy Orientation has been one of the nation’s top policy conferences, selling out each year while bringing together lawmakers, policy experts, and engaged citizens from across the political spectrum to discuss critical issues facing the Lone Star State and America. This year’s program includes more than 35 panel discussions and debates on the major issues affecting Texas’ future.
Members of the public and media who wish to attend may register and view the agenda at: www.PolicyOrientation.com
Allegra Hill is a policy analyst with the Center for Local Governance at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
James Quintero is director of the Center for Local Governance at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.