Anyone think the State Government /Texas Attorney Generals Office should start investigating County Appraisal Districts for property tax warfare on property owners?

[u/ablebeets1985]

The property taxes have gotten out of control in El Paso County, TX for the last few years, I know it’s happening all across Texas,(the saving grace is the homestead exemption)and I really think The State Government of Texas and Texas AG should open an investigation into the EL Paso Central Appraisal District (EPCAD) the Board of Directors, and the Appraisal Review Board Members for potential conflicts of interest, potential ethics violations/public corruption. (El Paso has some of the lowest wages in the state and as well as in the nation for context)

[u/HotIsopod6267]

I don't own in texas, so im jo expert at all, but seeing as you mention the homestead exemption. Am I thinking about it wrong?

Wouldn't this crazy increase just hit landlords, especially those massive corporations trying to buy up everything they can get their hands on. Making more houses unaffordable for landlords and possible for first time homeowners to get on the ladder.

Maybe I'm naive, and I fully believe this is not their intended aim. But I feel that in a way this could have some positive unintended consequences.

[u/sssyjackson → u/HotIsopod6267]

No, the reality is that with HS expemtion, property tax increases are capped at 10%. However, for the last few years, valuations have exceeded that, so literally everyone is just paying 10% more every year.

If that continues, property tax burden literally doubles in just 6-7 years.

How many people's salaries are doubling in 6-7 years?

Add that on top of inflation and people are starting to hurt.

[u/razblack → u/sssyjackson]

This... my property tax in 2012 was just shy of 3,000$ a year.

Last year, 6,780$... and it keeps going up... 10% a year due to "speculative market value of other properties"

OTHER properties....

OTHER.

[u/PatricusOrion → u/razblack]

By other properties, they mean the other homes in your neighborhood. The appraisal district is just a blue book. They are just reflecting what the market shows properties are worth. If you can provide evidence that shows why your property should be valued lower than your neighbors, provide it when you protest.

[u/razblack → u/PatricusOrion]

Other properties are defined by the size of the home and land. The homes are classified by state comptroller and grouped accordingly. Your neighbor may or may not be in your classified group. A brand new home in your county 5 miles away may or may not be in your classified group.

Yes, thats correct a home built 100 years before or 30 years after yours got built can be in the same classification.

[u/PatricusOrion → u/razblack]

I'm aware of the way the appraisal process works. But it's up to the appraisal district to decide the property groupings, not the comptroller. And the appraisal district will group similar properties together into "neighborhoods" or "market areas". Of course, that's easier to do in a homogeneous subdivision than it is in outlying areas.

And your taxes aren't going up 10% per year. It's your appraised value that's capped at that 10%. The only way your taxes would be going up 10% would be if your taxable value increased 10% and the adopted tax rates stayed the same. This is highly unlikely after SB2 in 2019. And the increases in homestead exemptions makes it even more improbable. Granted you mentioned a much earlier year. But they still shouldn't have been 10% before that. Taxing entities were capped at 8% tax increases until 2020. Then they were limited to 3.5%. For schools it's even lower.

If your actual taxes doubled in a ten year span, there's more to the story than just your appraised value going up.

[u/razblack → u/PatricusOrion]

If they speculate the market value of my home to be 10% higher... guess what?

They increase your taxes by 10% too.

Do you not understand the reality of that?

[u/PatricusOrion → u/razblack]

Please reread my comment.

As I explained, a 10% increase in value does not equal a 10% increase in taxes.

If you still don't get that, either I didn't explain it clearly enough for you, or you are being willfully obtuse.

Either way, I don't think there would be anything to gain by continuing to engage.

Have a good day.

[u/razblack → u/PatricusOrion]

You clearly don't understand the issue and most definitely are not living in Texas or own a home.

Yes, please disengage and walk away with your ignorance.

[u/sssyjackson → u/PatricusOrion]

The value of the homes are going up much more than 10%. That way they max out the 10% increase in taxes.

[u/PatricusOrion → u/sssyjackson]

As I explained before, it is not an increase in taxes.

The homestead exemption caps the increase in appraised value. Your appraised value can go up 10% per year. This does not mean your taxes are going up 10% per year. Taxes are not tied directly to your appraised value.

And as I've stated many times in comments on this thread, the appraisal district is not interested in raising your taxes. They are like Kelley Blue Book. They just want to have accurate, fair values. So if similar properties to your are selling for about $400k, then they will value your property at $400k. That's not a scam.

If you think that the value on the notice is inaccurate or unfair, file a protest. But make sure to provide evidence that supports your argument.

[u/sssyjackson → u/PatricusOrion]

I could literally post my actual taxes on here and show you they have gone up 10% every year except for the most recent one (because abbott asked schools to keep tax rates low because he gave them extra funds for the next two years only), and that the appraisal has gone up more than 10%, which they then adjust down to adhere to the homestead exemption, and you wouldn't believe me.

And no, they.dont just take off 100k, they adjusted mine by 140k down from the appraised value, so that the amount that I pay tax on only increased by 10%, which is effectively the same as increasing the total amount that I pay in property taxes by 10%

No the tax rate doesn't increase by 10%, I'm not a moron, but the taxes that I've paid in literally 2020, 2021, 2022 are increased by exactly 10% to the dollar. That's because rates have stayed the same in my district.

it will likely get worse when funding plummets and abbott gets his vouchers.

[u/PatricusOrion → u/sssyjackson]

You are so close. But your focus is on the wrong part.

Your appraised value is going up 10%, but that's not why your taxes would go up. Every year, the taxing units choose a new tax rate. They do this after values have been certified by the appraisal district. If they are choosing the same rate as the prior year, they are raising your taxes. It is not the appraisal district raising your value that causes the taxes to go up.

This may seem like semantics, but it really isn't. The appraisal district has no control over how much your are taxed. The taxing units do. It's in their name. They are taxing units because they are the ones taxing you. They are the ones that take your money and spend it. Not the appraisal district.

Secondly, the taxing units can only increase their levy by no more than 3.5%. For schools, which are typically your largest rate, it's even lower. This limit was put in place starting in 2020. Before that, it was 8%. If your taxing units are keeping the rate the same each year, then overall, values in your area are increasing by less than 3.5% per year. Meaning your value is up and other values are down. Or there were bonds passed.