Tuesday, among a litany of other issues included on the Republican Primary Election ballot, were ten propositions for Republican voters to consider related to specific policy positions.
One of those, Proposition 2, was specific to the collection of the property tax in the state of Texas, and based on the results, over three-quarters of all Republicans in Texas believe the property tax should be eliminated.
Ballot Proposition & Results
Proposition Language as it Appeared on the Ballot
Texas should eliminate all property taxes within ten (10) years without implementing a state income tax
*Source: Texas Secretary of State
Current Republican Party of Texas Platform
The Republican Party of Texas Platform currently calls for the abolishment of the property tax:
178. Abolish Property Tax: We support replacing the property tax system with an alternative other than the income tax and requiring voter approval to increase the overall tax burden. We urge the Legislature to develop a transition plan that is a net tax cut (one of the solutions could be a consumption tax).
Previous Legislative “Efforts”
Despite Republicans controlling the state legislature and every statewide office for nearly two decades and despite campaign promises to address the issue, the property tax burden on Texas taxpayers has exponentially increased.
The Tax Foundation reported in 2021 that Texas had the 6th most burdensome property tax in the United States. Wallethub reported just a year earlier that Texas ranked 7th in the nation.
In the most recent legislative sessions, multiple pieces of legislation were filed to put Texas on a path to property tax elimination. None were seriously considered by Republican legislative leadership, who instead prioritized trinkets designed to continue to provide what they deem relief, which in reality, only make efforts to slow the growth of such a burden on special classes of taxpayers.
Viable plans and alternatives to the property tax exist.
Given that this Republican ballot proposition overwhelmingly passed with Republican voters and the fact that the state legislature and state leadership are highly likely to remain in control of Republicans in the next legislative cycle, will elected leaders finally interpret these results as a worthwhile undertaking?
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility supports the elimination of the property tax and considers its collection as immoral. It is our position that property ownership can never truly ever be attained for as long as a requirement exists to pay perpetual rent via a property tax to the government.
