Present Texas property tax laws unfairly make homeowners pay more than their fair share of taxes.
Tax assessors are charged by law to assess the fair market value of property but have no capability of obtaining what the sales price of any property was. They therefore rely on sales prices as reported through Realtors and the lien value of loans. They have fairly adequate data on homes sold by Realtors to middle-class individuals, but how do they determine values on investment and commercial real estate and apartments? I can only deduce that lawmakers created such a monstrosity so that rich people could more easily evade paying their fair share of taxes.The agricultural exemption for property taxes lets investors pay very little tax. Having a few longhorn cattle or maybe some donkeys on the property lets the owners claim this exemption (or in East Texas plant a few pine trees). I am all for trying to help the family farmer growing local products, but present law just creates a tax loophole for investors while making farm land so expensive that real farmers cannot afford it.-- Floyd Ganus, Fort WorthHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
