HARRISON SAYS REMOVE PROPERTY TAX, BUT WHAT IS REPLACEMENT REVENUE?

ELLIS COUNTY – In a move that some residents of Ellis County said was simply grandstanding, State Representative Brian Harrison, District 10-Ellis County proposed a constitutional amendment to get rid of property taxes in Texas within five years.

A press release stated, “Representative Harrison has filed House Joint Resolution 145 and House Bill 3455. HJR 145 would amend the Texas Constitution to prohibit political subdivisions from imposing any property taxes after January 1, 2029. 

“Additionally, since the State of Texas currently guarantees all ISD bonds, the constitutional amendment keeps that system in place. As with all constitutional amendments, this measure, if passed, would go to the voters for approval on Nov. 7, 2023.”
Reportedly other representatives in the past have filed similar bills, but Harrison did not comment on the possibility of co-authoring or joint authoring his resolution or house bill alongside other colleagues in Austin.

He also did not comment on what would be the plan if a bill such as the one he is proposing passed as to how Texas would replace revenue coming into the state, or if the bill is a realistic approach to think Texas could abolish property tax without fundamentally overhauling the entire financial system.

According to Harrison, “Texas has been trying to reform property taxes for generations now and while we have made some progress, we still have too many Texans who are losing their homes because they can’t afford their property taxes.”