Gov. Greg Abbott touted plans to end property taxes used to pay for public schools in Texas as he met with Galveston County commissioners on Tuesday morning and later addressed oil and gas producers at a conference in the afternoon.
The governor unveiled his plan late last year as part of his campaign promises to lower property taxes, The Texas Tribune reported.
On Tuesday, the governor used Galveston County as an example for what he says other counties around Texas should be doing to lower property taxes.
Abbott claimed one reason property taxes go up is due to increased spending by property tax jurisdictions, such as local school districts.
"Galveston County has proven that even in a growing county, they have the ability to live within their means and not spend excessively and we expect every local property taxing jurisdiction to be able to achieve the same goal," Abbott said.
Abbott said funding for public education should come solely from the state, not homeowners. He claimed the annual surplus the Texas government has had for the past four years is far more than what would be needed to make up that cost.
"The state should be fully responsible for funding education in the state of Texas as opposed to your homestead," Abbott said.
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Galveston County Judge Mark Henry touted an almost 50% cut in the county's property tax rate in the last 15 years.
"It’s pretty simple to do. I don’t understand why others don’t understand how to do it. You don’t do anything that’s not a core function of county government," Henry said.
Abbott offered similar remarks at a conference for Texas oil and gas producers Tuesday afternoon.
The governor started his speech by praising workforce development projects, explaining how the state's government is working to address Texas' water needs and touting an oil field theft prevention unit in the Texas Department of Public Safety created by the state legislature last year.
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Then, he shifted to property taxes. In addition to calling for the end of school property taxes, Abbott proposed limits on appraisals and local governments' ability to increase these taxes. He also said homeowners should be able to vote on new property taxes.
"When that is done, everyone’s property tax bill is going to be more than cut in half," he said.
The governor's calls to decrease property taxes come as many public schools continue to face financial burdens and fight for more state funding. A new $1 billion voucher-like program pushed by Abbott will allow Texas families to use taxpayer money for private school tuition.
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