Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, it is seven twenty two. Let's welcome State Senator
Paul Bettencourt to the program. Talk a little bit about
these property taxes, particularly in Pairland. Senator, good morning, how are.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
You, good morning, Bob. Yes, it's a little higher than
it needs to be.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
My goodness, gracious. Yeah, we're talking about to two point
one six tenth highest in the country. I never would
have guessed that. I would have thought the property taxes
in some of the you know, San Francisco, La, New York, Manhattan,
some areas would be higher. But boy, Pairland really up there.
So what do you attribute that to.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Well, we started working on property tax relief in earnest
in about twenty nineteen. We passed the first major reform
bill in like thirty eight years, and basically it lowered
the amount of money that local jurisdictions could take from
taxpayers without a vote of the public. Now we've just
(00:56):
recently seen what that's like in Harris County, who on
their own basically literally raised an average tax bill by
nineteen percent. They unfortunately got about fifty one percent of
the public to go along with.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Them on.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
A public vote that was held in November. But the
sticker shock on the average citizen is enormous because that's
literally three hundred and twelve dollars just for county taxes.
And it points out to this bob that the state
is buying down the tax rate. We're increasing exemptions on
(01:38):
school taxes. We poured you know, you know well over
you know, twenty billion dollars in just last year to
buying down the state rate. But we don't have a
state income tax. I mean, we don't have a state
income tax for sure. We don't have a state property
tax either. So what happens in cities like Pairland and
(02:01):
in you know, MUDs and a Task, a seed and
all these other local entities makes a big difference in
your property tax bill because the school tax portion of
it is less than a half now.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
So we're talking with State Senator Paul Bettencourt about the
property tax rate high, very very high rates in the
greater Houston areas, particularly in Pairland, the tenth highest in
the country.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
What about property valuations.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
I know a lot of times that's the key to
this whole thing is having properties reassessed, find out whether
or not they are worth exactly what they say they are.
If you get a lower valuation and get a lower
tax bill, right right.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
The actual key to this is how much you have
to pay the value times the rate equals your bill.
If the value goes up and the rates go down,
then you could get a cut.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
And that's what happened in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
We pour money into increasing the homestead exemption but dropping
the tax rate all across the state, and that saved.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
The average homeowner thirteen and.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Twelve dollars in the in the Harris County area specifically,
about nine hundred and forty four bucks.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Of that still.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Remains because we've been able to buy down.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
The tax rate as values have gone up.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
So what we're doing is you you can always look
at I guess the best way. Don't be fooled by
the man behind the curtain. The point is how much
money do you actually pay? And for over sixty fives,
after we put all these reforms in, over half the
over sixty fives now don't pay any tax, and every
(03:45):
year their tax bill goes down because what happens is
the value is frozen, but the rate goes down each year.
So look at your the back of your tax bill.
And that's what people are doing, right, now by they're
paying their taxes because if you itemize your taxes, you
need to pay in December to get credit on your
(04:06):
federal income tax.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Flip it overlook at.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
It and you'll see how much your school taxes have
gone down. But we're going to change what happened here
in Harris County because you know, you just you can
only imagine, you know, the type of phone calls I've
been getting because Leena Hilldogo right around saying that it
was an eight percent increase when was really in nineteen.
So we're going to make sure that she can't pull
(04:31):
that trick again.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Well, I hope, and I know every taxpayer is hoping
for the very same thing. I'm glad they've got you
on their side. State Senator Paul Bettencourt trying to work
hard to help keep these tax rates down for as
many as they can around Harris County and beyond. A Senator,
thank you for the time. Hope you had a merry Christmas,
and I wish you very happy new Year.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yes, happy new Year to you, Bob, Thank you, thank you, sir,
God bless
Okay, it is seven twenty two. Let's welcome State Senator
Paul Bettencourt to the program. Talk a little bit about
these property taxes, particularly in Pairland. Senator, good morning, how are.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
You, good morning, Bob. Yes, it's a little higher than
it needs to be.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
My goodness, gracious. Yeah, we're talking about to two point
one six tenth highest in the country. I never would
have guessed that. I would have thought the property taxes
in some of the you know, San Francisco, La, New York, Manhattan,
some areas would be higher. But boy, Pairland really up there.
So what do you attribute that to.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Well, we started working on property tax relief in earnest
in about twenty nineteen. We passed the first major reform
bill in like thirty eight years, and basically it lowered
the amount of money that local jurisdictions could take from
taxpayers without a vote of the public. Now we've just
(00:56):
recently seen what that's like in Harris County, who on
their own basically literally raised an average tax bill by
nineteen percent. They unfortunately got about fifty one percent of
the public to go along with.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Them on.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
A public vote that was held in November. But the
sticker shock on the average citizen is enormous because that's
literally three hundred and twelve dollars just for county taxes.
And it points out to this bob that the state
is buying down the tax rate. We're increasing exemptions on
(01:38):
school taxes. We poured you know, you know well over
you know, twenty billion dollars in just last year to
buying down the state rate. But we don't have a
state income tax. I mean, we don't have a state
income tax for sure. We don't have a state property
tax either. So what happens in cities like Pairland and
(02:01):
in you know, MUDs and a Task, a seed and
all these other local entities makes a big difference in
your property tax bill because the school tax portion of
it is less than a half now.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
So we're talking with State Senator Paul Bettencourt about the
property tax rate high, very very high rates in the
greater Houston areas, particularly in Pairland, the tenth highest in
the country.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
What about property valuations.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
I know a lot of times that's the key to
this whole thing is having properties reassessed, find out whether
or not they are worth exactly what they say they are.
If you get a lower valuation and get a lower
tax bill, right right.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
The actual key to this is how much you have
to pay the value times the rate equals your bill.
If the value goes up and the rates go down,
then you could get a cut.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
And that's what happened in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
We pour money into increasing the homestead exemption but dropping
the tax rate all across the state, and that saved.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
The average homeowner thirteen and.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Twelve dollars in the in the Harris County area specifically,
about nine hundred and forty four bucks.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Of that still.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
Remains because we've been able to buy down.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
The tax rate as values have gone up.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
So what we're doing is you you can always look
at I guess the best way. Don't be fooled by
the man behind the curtain. The point is how much
money do you actually pay? And for over sixty fives,
after we put all these reforms in, over half the
over sixty fives now don't pay any tax, and every
(03:45):
year their tax bill goes down because what happens is
the value is frozen, but the rate goes down each year.
So look at your the back of your tax bill.
And that's what people are doing, right, now by they're
paying their taxes because if you itemize your taxes, you
need to pay in December to get credit on your
(04:06):
federal income tax.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Flip it overlook at.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
It and you'll see how much your school taxes have
gone down. But we're going to change what happened here
in Harris County because you know, you just you can
only imagine, you know, the type of phone calls I've
been getting because Leena Hilldogo right around saying that it
was an eight percent increase when was really in nineteen.
So we're going to make sure that she can't pull
(04:31):
that trick again.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Well, I hope, and I know every taxpayer is hoping
for the very same thing. I'm glad they've got you
on their side. State Senator Paul Bettencourt trying to work
hard to help keep these tax rates down for as
many as they can around Harris County and beyond. A Senator,
thank you for the time. Hope you had a merry Christmas,
and I wish you very happy new Year.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yes, happy new Year to you, Bob, Thank you, thank you, sir,
God bless
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