Commissioner’s Directive Reduces Houston ISD Property Detachments Commissioner of Education Mike Morath issued a directivelast night that, beginning with the current school year, TEA will recognize 50% of the optional homestead exemption when calculating the amount recaptured from property wealthy school districts. This will reduce the recapture/detachment demands on Houston ISD by approximately $60 million,…

TTARA Releases Chapter 313 Report Texas’ high property taxes place a huge barrier before companies looking to invest in major capital projects. To lower that barrier, local taxing units are able to offer incentives that temporarily reduce the amount of property tax due. Cities and counties are able to offer tax abatements under Chapter 312…

Update on the 85th Legislative Session and current tax and fiscal issues in Texas.

Texas Supreme Court Hears Interstate Commerce Case This morning the Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments in ETC Marketing Ltd. V. Harris County Appraisal District (15-0687), an important property tax case that TTARA has been following closely, including filing an amicus urging the Court to hear the case to clarify what are the appropriate considerations…

Senate Select Property Tax Committee Report Released Senator Paul Bettencourt, Chair, at a 2:00 p.m. Capitol press conference today announced the release of the much-anticipated report of the Senate Select Committee on Property Tax Reform & Relief. He also announced that he would file SB 2, the Texas Property Tax Reform and Relief Act of…