Bacarisse Calls for 5-Cent Property Tax Rate Cut

HOUSTON — Citing a new report that the taxable value of all property in Harris County surged from $222.5 billion last year to $250.7 billion this year a whopping 12.5 increase conservative leader Charles Bacarisse today called on Commissioners Court to cut the property tax rate by at least five cents when it meets next week. 

The Bacarisse tax rate cut — which would reduce the rate from the current $0.4023 cents per $100 in value — would mean a $69 savings to the average County homeowner based on the median $138890 home.

Bacarisse first called for the property tax cut Monday night at the Harris County Republican Party’s 3rd Quarter meeting.  His primary opponent also spoke at that event but the recently appointed county judge did not address the need for property tax relief according to numerous eyewitnesses.

If enacted the Bacarisse tax cut of a full five cents would be the first since October of 2001 when the Court enacted what was widely considered a token rate decrease of .175 percent of one cent that translated to $1.40 in savings for the owner of a $100000 home.

“Harris County citizens have waited too long for the relief they need and the new numbers out this week simply confirm that the government has already taken too much of our money” Bacarisse said.  “As I showed in transforming the fourth largest agency in county government it is possible to do more with less — but it takes innovation positive leadership and a commitment to real change.”

When he declared his candidacy on August 29th Bacarisse pledged to adopt the common sense guidelines provided in the Taxpayer Bill of Rights which Harris County GOP voters overwhelmingly endorsed last year.  The TABOR essentially caps the total growth of the county budget each year to population growth multiplied by inflation. 

During the Fiscal Year 2006 for example countywide population growth was 1.3 percent while inflation grew by 3.6 percent – meaning TABOR would have capped the growth of the budget at five percent.  That year the county collected almost $1.6 billion in taxes but TABOR would have only allowed it to receive $1.4 – which means that under the Bacarisse plan the excess revenue of roughly $200 million would have been rebated back to you the taxpayer.

Today Bacarisse followed the same common sense formula to back-up his call for a 5-cent property tax rate cut:

• According to Harris County’s own data taxable values in Harris County are up 62.7 since 2001.
• According to the Texas State Data Center population has increased 14.7 since 2000.
• According to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 21.5 from 1999 to 2006.
• Had we enacted a TABOR in 2000 county spending would have grown at 36.2 percent — instead of the 62.7 increase we have seen.
• The Bacarisse Tax Cut for FY 2008 falls well within the TABOR guidelines.