SAN ANTONIO – New property tax relief legislation, signed by Governor Abbott last week, aims to provide $10 billion worth of relief to Texans across the state.
The legislation, if approved by voters in November, focuses on increasing homestead exemptions for seniors, homeowners, and businesses.
The three pieces of legislation are: Senate Bill 4, Senate Bill 23, and House Bill 9.
SB 4 raises the homestead exemption for school district taxes from $100,00 to $140,000. The state projects this will save the average homeowner $484 annually.
SB 23 increases the homestead exemption on school district taxes for homeowners who have a disability or are 65 years old or older from $10,000 to $60,000. Combined with SB 4, the state projects it will save homeowners more than $950 annually.
HB 9, aimed at small businesses, increases the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000.
Here in San Antonio, Ronald Thompson has lived in the Dellview neighborhood for over 30 years, having initially visited to see his brother while he was in the military.
Since then, he’s fallen in love with his home and the more than 100-year-old oak tree that’s withstood two lightning strikes, and the neighbors around him.
However, as the neighborhood has changed, so has his tax bill.
“The price of the property taxes have gone up and up. For a senior, it kind of worries me,” Thompson says. “But I think that’s how things change, I guess.”
Thompson has become an advocate for protesting your appraisal value with the Bexar Appraisal District, saying it’s brought the most relief for his tax bill.
"The land has gone up more than the structures have here, and then you get so many calls from people that want to buy your property just for the land, not the house," he continued.
Anne Englert is the owner of Texas True Tax, a company that has worked with the City of San Antonio and the Bexar Appraisal District to provide free property tax information workshops.
Englert believes this legislation, although moving in the right direction, will not make a significant difference to many taxpayers.
“It’s not really a lot of relief when you start thinking about it,“ Englert says. ”The people that they helped out again that I think is probably most significant are those that are disabled and over 65."
She cites recent legislation from 2 years ago that raised homestead exemptions from $75,000 to $100,000 as the reason why SB4 does not go far enough.
“Two years later, why are you stopping at $140,000?” she continued.
These measures would still need to be approved by voters come November.
In the meantime, Englert recommends contacting the Bexar Appraisal District if you believe you’re not currently taking advantage of any homestead exemptions you might already qualify for.
