New Texas Laws Boost Homestead Exemptions For Homeowners

Yahoo

2 days ago

Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and House Speaker Dustin Burrows hailed the passage of legislation aimed at delivering property tax relief on May 30, though critics argue the measures fail to address escalating tax burdens driven by government spending.
The Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 4, Senate Bill 23, House Bill 9, Senate Joint Resolution 2, Senate Joint Resolution 85, and House Joint Resolution 1, which, if approved by voters in November, will increase homestead exemptions and business property tax exemptions.
'Never before has the Texas Legislature allocated more funds to provide property tax relief than they did this session,' Abbott said in a press release. 'I will sign these bills into law to deliver lasting relief for Texans and their families, and I urge Texans to approve the new increases in the homestead and business property tax exemptions this November.'
Senate Bill 4 raises the homestead exemption to $140,000 for all homeowners, while Senate Bill 23 increases it to $200,000 for seniors and disabled individuals. House Bill 9 enhances tax exemptions for business inventory, a move small businesses have pushed to eliminate.
The joint resolutions propose constitutional amendments to make these exemptions permanent, pending voter approval.
'When I became Lieutenant Governor in 2015, the homestead exemption was a tiny $15,000,' Patrick said in the press release. 'Since then, we have increased it to $100,000, and with the passage of Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill 23, it is now $200,000 for seniors and $140,000 for non-seniors. The average senior homeowner will no longer pay any school property taxes for the rest of their life as long as they live in their home.'
Speaker Burrows added, 'With the Legislature's overwhelming passage of additional property tax relief, Texas home and business owners are on their way to keeping more of their hard-earned money.'
Abbott declared property tax relief an emergency item in his 2025 State of the State Address, following a 2023 session in which Patrick called that year's relief package 'the largest property tax relief package in Texas history, and likely the world.'
Despite these claims, property taxes rose by $5.4 billion in 2024, a 6.6% increase from 2023, according to state comptroller data cited by economist Bill Peacock, per Center Square. Counties raised taxes by 10.4%, school districts by 6.4%, special districts by 6.1%, and cities by 3.9%.
Critics, including economist Vance Ginn, argue that the Legislature's approach of temporarily compressing rates and increasing exemptions merely shifts the tax burden without reducing it.
'Texans want to own their homes – not rent them from the government forever,' Ginn said, according to Center Square. 'They want a government that lives within its means, just like they do. And they want honesty – not headlines – from their elected officials.'
Ginn advocates capping state and local spending growth to population growth plus inflation, requiring a two-thirds vote for increases, and using the state's surplus to eliminate school district maintenance and operations taxes.
Fiscal conservatives have criticized the current budget as 'a bloated, big-government plan masquerading as conservative reform,' warning, as Ginn did, 'If we continue down this path, Texas won't just resemble California – we'll become it.'
Taxpayers on social media have echoed these concerns, arguing the Legislature's spending habits undermine relief efforts.