Texas Governor Calls Lawmakers Back For Another Special Session on Property Taxes

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott promised voters a property tax cut and his latest action appears to send a clear message that the legislative session won’t end until he gets one.

Abbott called another special session Tuesday, less than two hours after the House and Senate failed to reach an agreement on how to distribute $17.6 billion in surplus tax revenue to reduce local school taxes. 

Both branches of the Legislature have proposed plans and neither is budging toward a compromise. 

Not much has changed since Abbott announced over a month ago that his preferred tax cut is the one pushed by House Speaker Dade Phelan, which funnels roughly $17.6 billion of surplus state tax revenue toward school districts, saving property owners money by “rate compression.” 

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Senate prefer increasing the amount shaved off a homestead’s taxable value from $40,000 to $100,000. 

“After yet another month without the House and Senate sending a bill to my desk to cut property taxes, I am once again putting the agreed-upon school district property tax rate cuts on the special session agenda,” Abbott said in a public statement.