David Jennings of Big Jolly Politics fame is complaining because Sen. Paul Bettencourt has accurately characterized the FAKE tax cuts counties, cities and special districts pretend hand out in his recent press release where he said the following –
Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Property Tax Reform and Relief, today busted the property tax myth the committee has heard around the state from elected officials who say, “I didn’t raise your taxes,because I didn’t raise your tax rate.”
Jennings is just like all weak Republicans who refuse to hold their own accountable – he whines about Bettencourts release – “I mean, seriously, don’t you think that Harris County Republicans have a big enough problem in front them without infighting?”
And to top it off Jennings even called up Harris County Judge Ed Emmett for moral support.
How sad that Emmett resorted to the same tired cop out that we get from almost every tax raising elected official in Texas.
From Judge Emmett per Jennings –
I wish he would take steps to change the appraisal process.
I wish he would allow federal and state funds to pay for indigent health care that is now paid for by county property owners.
I wish he would meet with county officials and seek real solutions.
I wish he would recognize that we have completely exempted the first $200 thousand appraised value for Harris County senior citizens.
Most importantly, I wish he would discuss fundamental change to the flawed property tax system so urban counties do not have to rely on it.
What a joke folks!
Tax appraisals are completely irrelevant. Tax appraisals do not raise taxes EVER! However, Tax rates set by elected officials do. All elected officials know that there is such a thing as an EFFECTIVE TAX RATE and that such a tax rate is in complete control of the elected officials regardless of what the Central Appraisal District does. It is a complete cop out to blame any tax increase on rising property values.
In fact the effective tax rate is defined in Texas law in Tex. Tax Code § 26.05(a)(2) as “the rate that, if applied to the total taxable value, will impose the amount of taxes needed to fund maintenance and operation expenditures of the unit for the next year.”
Every one make a flash card with the definition on it and hand it to every elected official and tell your elected officials that is what you want instead of a tax increase.
What a shame on Judge Ed Emmett who is behaving just like every elected official in Harris County or our own Montgomery County and elsewhere. He refuses to take responsibility and cut his tax rate to the point of neutral effect on each tax payer over last year.
So often elected officials prove they refuse to cut anything except the taxpayers throat.
We need to hold our own guys feet to the fire over taxes instead of sidestepping the issue for political reasons.
