AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A group of lawmakers presented data that claims property taxes are growing nearly three times as fast as residents’ ability to pay.
The Dallas Morning News reports data presented at a tax bill hearing defends a proposed sweeping bill that would cap how much local authorities can increase taxes and would allow residents to easily roll back taxes through a local election.
The chart, presented by Republican state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, shows the growth of statewide property tax collections to median household income, which says city and county tax collections rose by 82 and 71 percent, while median household income rose at slower rate at about 29 percent.
However, economic data indicates the difference between residents’ paychecks and their tax bills isn’t nearly as wide as the data presented by Bettencourt.
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