Abbott on property tax-relief amendments: 'Victory for ALL property owners in Texas!'

The verdict is in: Texas voters have approved two constitutional amendments to lower property tax.

Voters were asked this week to decide on two amendments: Proposition 1 would lower property taxes for the elderly and disabled, and Proposition 2 would lower property taxes for all Texan homeowners. Both amendments passed.

"Propositions 1 & 2 PASS overwhelmingly statewide," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a Twitter post. "Victory for ALL property owners in Texas!"

The vote was not even close. Both measures amassed positive votes making up more than 80% of the total, The Texas Tribune reported.

"It's great to see the voters of Texas vote overwhelmingly for property tax relief," state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, told the press. "They're recognizing the obvious, that Texas homesteads need it."

Conversations of property tax relief often bring up the concern that schools will lose funding if property taxes are reduced. In this case, the state would reimburse any school districts for lost funding due to these relief measures, the Texas Secretary of State's office reported.

"Proposing a constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the reduction of the amount of a limitation on the total amount of ad valorem taxes that may be imposed for general elementary and secondary public school purposes on the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled to reflect any statutory reduction from the preceding tax year in the maximum compressed rate of the maintenance and operations taxes imposed for those purposes on the homestead," Proposition 1 read.

Proposition 2 would raise how much of a home's value is exempt from being taxed for the purpose of public schools. Instead of taxation starting at $25,000, the amount will be $40,000.

While voters passed two measures that will reduce the Texan property tax burden, appraisal values have still been skyrocketing, the Texas Public Policy Foundation reported in a newsletter. This has led for calls to protest appraisals.

"Taxpayers should be prepared to defend their wallets this year," the Texas Public Policy Foundation's James Quintero said in the newsletter. "First by protesting their property tax appraisals and then by pressuring their local elected officials to adopt lower tax rates."