A Structural Solution to Fix Property Taxes in Texas

Three Real Steps — Not Empty Promises

Texans are not confused about property taxes.

They are angry because the system is structurally broken, not because rates are too high in a single year.

Every election cycle, we hear the same talking points:

• “We cut rates”

• “We increased exemptions”

• “We’ll review the process”

Yet property tax bills keep rising.

That tells us one thing clearly: this is not a rate problem — it is a system problem.

If we are serious about fixing property taxes, we must start with structure, accountability, and constitutional boundaries.

Here is how that begins.

Step One: Immediate Moratorium on Property Tax Enforcement

The first step is not legislation.

The first step is relief.

The Governor of Texas should call for an immediate statewide moratorium on property tax enforcement — including penalties, interest, and forced collections — until the system is audited and corrected.

A moratorium does three critical things:

1. It stops families and small businesses from being crushed while reform is debated

2. It forces transparency from appraisal districts and taxing entities

3. It acknowledges that the system may be operating unlawfully

When a system is suspected of constitutional violations, the answer is not “pay now, fix later.”

The answer is pause, review, and correct.

Step Two: Independent Structural Audit of Appraisal Methodology

Texas does not suffer from high taxes alone — it suffers from non-uniform appraisal methods.

Different counties.

Different models.

Different assumptions.

Different results.

That violates the Texas Constitution’s requirement that taxation be equal and uniform.

The second step is an independent statewide audit of:

• Appraisal formulas

• Market modeling assumptions

• Ratio studies

• Equity across counties and property classes

Not an internal review.

Not a political task force.

A real, independent audit with public findings.

You cannot fix what you refuse to measure.

Step Three: Structural Reform — Separate Revenue Needs from Appraisal Power

This is the heart of the problem.

Appraisal districts are currently pressured — directly or indirectly — to meet revenue expectations, not objective market value.

That creates a built-in conflict of interest.

The solution is structural:

• Appraisals must be purely valuation-based

• Revenue decisions must be separate, transparent, and voter-accountable

• Any increase beyond inflation and population growth must require direct voter approval

No more backdoor taxation through inflated appraisals.

This Is Not About Politics — It’s About Legitimacy

This approach does not favor one party.

It does not attack local governments.

It does not promise impossible outcomes.

It restores legitimacy to the tax system.

A government that refuses to pause a broken system,

refuses to audit itself,

and refuses to separate valuation from revenue

is not governing — it is extracting.

Texans deserve better.

Structural problems require structural solutions.

And real leadership starts by admitting when the system itself is the problem.