Texas Gov. Abbott vows to ‘drive a stake through’ property taxes with constitutional amendment

The leader of America’s second-largest state wants to “drive a stake through” property taxes with a constitutional amendment to eliminate school district property taxes for homeowners, Texas Scorecard reported.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the proposal, among others, Sunday during the kickoff of his campaign for a fourth term atop the Lone Star State – something that could make him Texas’ longest-serving governor, surpassing fellow Republican Rick Perry, who served 14 years.

“It’s time to drive a stake through the heart of local property tax hikes for good,” Abbott said at the event in Houston. “We are going to turn the tables on local taxing authorities, put the power with the people, and put an end to out-of-control property taxes in Texas.” 

Legislators will be asked to agree to limit annual local government spending increases to the lesser of 3.5% or the rate of population growth and inflation, according to Texas Scorecard. Other ideas include requiring a two-thirds vote for any local property tax increase, allowing voters to roll back tax rates, limiting property appraisals to every five years and lowering the 10% appraisal cap to 3%, KPRC reported. 

Abbott’s biggest proposal – a constitutional amendment to remove property taxes used to fund school districts – would require a joint resolution by the Legislature, which would then go to voters for approval. 

Abbott said the measures would give people “complete control over their property taxes.” He also blamed local governments, not the state, for most of the tax increases. 

Abbott’s plan is similar to efforts by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has also expressed interest in eliminating property taxes in his state. 

DeSantis, also a Republican, said in September that he didn’t think legislators “will be able to leave town” next year without approving a ballot measure to do so. 

Florida has the most school choice students in the nation, at 500,000. Texas is debuting a $1 billion education savings account program next year. School choice allows students to attend private schools, often at a significantly lower cost than what is spent on public schools. Public school funding is typically the largest driver of property taxes.