With the Texas Legislature set to tackle property taxes this year, the stations of the Texas Newsroom examine the state’s high rate: what led us here and what are some ways that taxpayers could see relief.

Republicans are wrestling over how much of the state’s nearly $33 billion budget surplus to spend on property taxes. Democrats have their own ideas about what to do with the cash.

The way that some in economic development spheres look at it, working to lure companies to come to Central Texas is a lot like handiwork. You strap on your tool belt or grab your toolbox and use whatever you need that’s in it to complete the job.

Dale Craymer, the president of the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, said a more equitable distribution of property tax relief would be

It’s a starting point in the Senate as lawmakers begin to craft bills aimed at cutting property taxes. Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed to deliver the “largest property tax cut in the history of the state of Texas.”