Dallas banks refuse Perry rebate checks
by David Benzion · 08/14/2006 9:18 amSteve Brown, Dallas Morning News columnist:
By now you’ve heard about the big property tax cut the folks in Austin are hyping – the largest in the state’s history, they say.
But don’t expect a sweepstakes win with what state lawmakers have delivered.
Indeed, for most Dallas homeowners, the first year’s savings will buy only a tank of gas for a full-size SUV.
That’s right. The state’s much touted school property tax cut won’t be the thousands of dollars politicians have bragged about.
What a shock! Who knew?
The people at the Dallas Central Appraisal District, that’s who.
A copy of the appraisal district’s internal newsletter spells out in exact dollars and cents how much Dallas County homeowners can expect to get in the much-ballyhooed property tax cut.
Based on homes with an average taxable value of $126,607, Dallas homeowners will save – wait for it – $84.21 in their taxes this year.
That’s not enough to pay for a weekend at Six Flags for most families.
And it’s certainly not the windfall state legislators were hollering about.
Next year, the average tax cut will be a bit better – $502.01.
But with many Dallas County homeowners seeing increases in their properties’ appraised values, a large number of folks won’t see a dime of the so-called tax relief.
Local taxing officials are dreading the public’s reaction when they see what kind of tax savings they really get.
“In preparation for tax statements going out in October, and some of the public being of the belief that they will receive large slashes in their property tax bills, the tax collectors around the state are currently developing a statement that as briefly yet as thoroughly, accurately and understandably as possible will explain the true impact of the legislation,” David Childs, Dallas County’s tax assessor-collector, said in an e-mail.
“Staff will then be trained in how to respond to citizen confusions, misinformation and misunderstandings,” he said.
They’ll have a lot of explaining to do.
Of course, anyone who believes it when government says it has done you a big favor is loony in my book.
Hat-tip: Edd Hendee
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Edd like to say “Shut up and pay”
I think a more accurate term would be “Bend over and smile!”.
“Staff will then be trained in how to respond to citizen confusions, misinformation and misunderstandings,” he said.
How about out and out LIES by the legislature? Come on November. Vote’m all out!
Are they gonna need to increase taxes to pay for the increase in training?
What we need is legislation requiring the employer to automatically adjust our paychecks to cover tax increases because the employer as a whole can’t vote against our lousy legislators, ONLY THE TAXPAYER CAN!!!!!!!
I believe that the campaign…er…office staff of Carole Keaton Strayhorn, “Grandma,” will be ‘volunteering’ to help answer the phones and explain the confusion….
Thanks to Edd and Paul for getting this out so we the taxpayers would not be fooled by perry, dewhurst, odgen, williams, janek and hill.
David,
Where is the story to go with the headline?
The way I figured it out was - they claimed to give back 30% over three years - but with appraisal creep at 10% per year, my increase in paper value us 35% so instead of saving $2,000. this will cost me an extra 5% or $800.00 -
GOOD BYE PERRY - you lost my vote to Kinky!
To kinda rephrase “I love Lucy”, “Ricky, you got a lotta ’splainin’ to do!”
Wasn’t there a lawsuit out there to cap property tax at purchase price based on the fact that you are being taxed on unrealized gains?
The taxing authorities ought to consider sending this with the tax bills and “’splanations”:
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=13346&catid=26911&trx=GFI-0-RVP-48833&trxp1=26911&trxp2=13346&trxp3=1&trxp4=2&btrx=BUY-GFI-0-RVP-48833
It might ease the pain a bit.
There was a movement to put a cap on increases of property appraisals. I don’t remember the desired limits on the percentage increase allowed per year or what was actually decided on, but had the caps been approved, the home-owner would have benefitted more.
A big problem is that no matter how much the tax rate is decreased at the state level, the tax appraisers at the local level can counteract that decrease by increasing the appraisals.
Another way to help the home owner is to to closely monitor the tax abates given by local politicians to big business. Every cent that the local governments loose to tax abatements must be made up by raising taxes elsewhere. In Austin County, the county judge is pretty much on her way out this year, and this is only one of the issues facing her. If your local politicians are giving a free ride to businesses based in other towns and states, the local citizens suffer.
Who wants to bet me a beer that the tax bills will be mysteriously delayed until after the November elections?
As a business owner, the tax abatements sound good to people who don’t understand how businesses operate. A tax placed on a business becomes another line item expense, like rent, payroll, materials purchases, etc. These costs must be covered in order to stay in business, so these costs are added into the final cost of the product or service. I’m not saying that businesses should not be taxed; it may encourage responsible money management. But when people get satisfaction out of “sticking it” to businesses by successfully adding taxes, I realize how woefully inadequate our public education system is, and how many end consumers fail to understand basic business economic principles. Your $5.00 widget now may cost $5.10. Add all of the widgets and gadgets you buy throughout the year, and you’ll see your cost of living going up (do I hear an argument against raising the minimum wage here??). YOU are paying the taxes assessed against the businesses you deal with.
Once again, businesses COLLECT taxes, then pass them on to the government, they don’t PAY them.
TexasKnight:
The ideal tax cap is to set the appraisal at the time of purchase of the home. That one thing alone would cut some of the bureacracy and let the homeowner know what his tax is going to be every year. It would also stop the appraisal districts arbitrarily raising rates and the “gubmint’s good ole boys” saying we didn’t raise your taxes but still get more and more of our money every year.
“Every cent that the local governments loose to tax abatements must be made up by raising taxes elsewhere.”
NOT if they cut some of the fat, special interest programs and other unnecessary “feeeeeel” good programs. IE Midnight basketball, free lunches, free breakfasts, free childcare, free health care, etc. It would be an interesting exercise to go back twenty years and see what “waste” we could find in the spending. I shudder to think what one could uncover.
I do not like it when Liberals lie to me, but I expect it. I can not stand it when someone I supported, and claims to be a conservative, lies to me. I can no longer vote for Rick Perry.
I will not stay home, and I will not let this affect down ballot races, but I will not vote for Rick Perry.
I am happy that Dan Patrick will be my new State Senator, but I will be watching him too. Hopefully there will be change.
From what I have seen all up and down the Elected Officials line, NONE of them are getting my vote. It’s too bad I don’t live in Dan’s District, so I can’t vote for him.
It’s not only Skip Dewhurts this time, but Skip Dew, Skip Rick, Skip…skip…skip!
Are there going to be any resolutions I can vote “For”?
#14 tedtam
I agree that tax abatements can be good for business, but some of the ones out here have cost the locals more than they brought into the local economy.
Our city had to lay about 7 miles of sewer and water lines to a new manufacturing busines (which wasn’t taxed for nearly ten years) and the locals had to absorb 100% of the cost. This business also did not provide the number of jobs to the local citizens as promised.
And then there are integrity issues. A new “mall” was given a tax abatement when it came to town. Water and sewer lines were also run to this location at the city’s expense. The mayor in this town is a part-time position. The mayor during this timeframe worked as a school teacher. After the tax abatement was granted and the mall opened, the mayor resigned from her school teacher position and took a job as business manager for the mall. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. (FYI — she now works in another town.)
In both of these situations, the local small business owners and home owners suffered the burden of the increase in city expenses.
Tax abatements can stimulate business, but should not punish the local citizens.
#15 malcolm
Would your proposal include an allowance for inflation?
What if a home is passed down through generations — say, for example, if my great-great-grandfather purchased a home for $1,000 and passed it to my great-grandfather, who passed it to . . . etc . . . to me with no money being exchanged for it? Or maybe a $1 sale price? Would I pay tax based on the $1,000 actual sale price, on the $1 I paid for it, or on its true market value when I recieved it?
I have been one of the vote for Kinky guys for awhile now, but I am changing my mind. I will wait to see the polls and see if Carole has a better chance to win. I am going to vote for whoever can get Perry out of office.
Everyday on KSEV they are saying that people are angry and just saying they are going to vote for Kinky, but they will change their mind at the booth. Or they say if you vote for Kinky it will hurt the down ballot. I wish they would give the voters the respect they deserve. We know how to make decision, we know how to stand by our convictions, and we know how to vote race by race.
We also keep hearing how Kinky is pro-Abortion and pro-Gay Marriage, etc. and how can a true conservative vote for him. My question is if Perry was so anti-Abortion how come it is not outlawed in Texas? Because the Gov. has no say in abortion. If you had a choice between having lower taxes or banning gay marriage which would you choose?
I remember a couple of months ago Dan was saying that we need to remember that Perry was “with us” on the tax cap. I ask you what that means? When Perry wanted a business tax he pushed, and bullied and broke arms to get it passed, when he said he was “with us” and “supported” a property tax cap, all he did was hold a press conference.
Kinky is liberal in issues that he can not affect, or are insignificant, Perry is liberal with our money.
Vote out the bum! Vote for Kinky! Vote for Carole! Vote for Chris!
#19 - a very simple rule. When the title/deed changed name (except for the death of a current spouse, not passed to siblings or children), THEN it would get re-appraised. Also if you re-financed, the appraisial would be at the NEW re-financed price.
#18
When there are shenanigans involved, heck yeah, look into it. What I was talking about were the people who get that gleam in their eye when they say, “YES! Tax those businesses!” when they really mean “YES! Tax those people who are richer than me and I’m really jealous because class envy runs my life and because I don’t feel like getting off my lazy a** and taking risk and educating myself on how to make my life better and taking action!” These are the people who don’t (or won’t) try to understand how taxes impact businesses and the consumers. All they know (or care to know) is that they think someone else has been “gotten”.
THOSE are the people I’m talking about.
Bend over. The politicians can do this with or without the lube. All of the hype about a big tax cut was just KY Jelly for the people who don’t know any better.
#19 Texnite: I honestly don’t know! That would probably constitute only a miniscule percentage of the situations. I suppose that market value at the time seem more fair, but I’m sure that there’s better brains than me that could work out an amiable plan. What’s your take?
#19 - If there are county records that can back up the $1 purchase price from 100 years ago and it hasn’t been sold since, then good for them. They deserve to pay tax on $1
But how often is that going to happen? I think we should have a plan that is easy and fair for 99% of the homeowners. Most homes are only worth what they were bought at, and if they are resold at a higher price then the market has determined worth.
I’ve checked the current value of the home my parents purchased in the Aldine area over 30 years ago for $24k. HCAD has it valued at over $100k now How that home is worth the same as the much newer/bigger one I sold 3 years ago in Bear Creek baffles me.
TexKnight speaketh the truth in #18. I watched it happen, too.
#20 if you are an informed voter you will not be voting straight ticket, which is what the Harris County GOP is suggesting. You will vote in each race individually. that is what I am going to do. Dewhurst will not get my vote nor will his opponent. Perry will not get my vote but eitehr Kinky or Grandma will.
the rest of the ballot I will examine and make my choices.
bweldom
#27
I agree with you. I have never voted straight ticket - too much like what the Democrats blindly do to suit me. Besides, I value my opportunity to vote and I very carefully take the time to go through the entire ballot and then proof my votes. I especially look at the candidates for judge and may vote Dem or Rep, depending on what I know of the candidates. There are a lot of Rep judges who have no business being a judge. Before voting, I do a whole lot of research on each candidate. I am what the Reps and Dems don’t want - an informed voter.
That is baloney !!!!!!!!!! High property taxes are just a “Harris County” problem.
Fred Hill has assured us.
Throw them “ALL” out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know I’m part-Polish and I agree with everyone here that the Polislickens need to be voted out one and all. But David, what the heck does the headline “Dallas banks refuse Perry rebate checks” have to do with any of this?
You can only tell they are lying when their mouth’s are moving. I say [again] it’s time to flush the toilet called Austin and start fresh with a new batch that [maybe] will follow the mandate of the voters.
An Observer
#31
I agree. Unless the voters send a message to the RINOS, it will be business as usual. I really do not think the Republican Party of Texas or the Harris County Republican Party is aware of what is going on, but they should be!
The Harris County Republican Party is WELL aware of our feelings. Several months ago the exec. comm. passed a resolution in total opposition to the special session legislation. Again Harris County led the way at the recent state convention to oppose the business tax and to tell the truth about the no-tax cut tax cut.
The problem is NOT the local party , they get it , our problem is in the rest of the state BUT there is a huge awakening going on. Articles such as above and like ones in the other major metropolitan rags are helping in the education process. In a few weeks there will be a new and powerful “VOICE” booming out all across the Ft Worth -Dallas area. TRUTH ALWAYS WINS!!!!
The Gov still has a small window of opportunity to make things right, it will take an admission of the truth and a pledge to FIX IT, but time is running out and ,so far, he ain’t coming to the door nor answering the phone.