Compromise property tax appraisal bill signed

It’s better than nothing, though not by that much.

Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a bill that partially closes a loophole that allowed a powerful oil company to take back millions in tax dollars from Houston-area school districts while draining hundreds of millions more from local government coffers.

The measure that won final approval, HB 2083, from the Republican-controlled Legislature doesn’t go nearly as far in reforming the law as the Legislative Budget Board wanted. The board noted earlier this year that the law is costing the state $70 million to $80 million a year because Texas has to help maintain a certain level of funding at school districts, which are having to repay companies winning court cases based on a 1997 amendment to the state’s tax law.

When the measure takes effect in January next year, though, companies for the first time will be forced to use generally accepted appraisal methods in court cases challenging assessed values under the 18-year-old “equal and uniform” clause of the tax law.

The bill was pushed by county appraisal districts, who complained that often questionable methods were being used during tax appeals to arrive at appraisal values, said Charles Gilliland, a research economist at Texas A&M’s Real Estate Center at College Station.

“I think it will have some effect on it. How much … depends on how much unconscionable activity has been going on,” Gilliland said.

The new standard could give an advantage to appraisal districts, he said. “If they see the numbers being cooked, it gives them ammunition to raise that issue without going to district court,” Gilliland said.

The tax code section at issue gained attention after the Valero oil company forced the Port Arthur school district to refund about $30 million in taxes and other fees, and the Texas City school district about $5 million.

“I think the law was so bad that anything they could do was an improvement,” said Harris County chief appraiser Sands Stiefer, whose county school districts lost $685 million from 2011 to 2014 because of the loophole.

Stiefer, who took part in negotiations over the bill, said the measure leaves much to be desired. He said the issue will be revisited next legislative session. “We would like to see more done,” he said.

See here for the background, and here for a reminder of just how badly the current system is rigged. This bill will help a little, and that’s a good thing. Real Value$ for Texas calls it a “step forward”. I would agree with that and I appreciate the hard work they did to get that step forward taken. My concern is that now that we have taken this step, the perception in Austin will be that the problem is solved, and there will be no appetite to do anything further. I hope I’m wrong and that this is indeed just a first step. Be that as it may, I’m glad to see us get this far. It will make things a little fairer, and that’s never bad news.

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