Proposition 11 – School tax exemption for homeowners who are disabled or over 65
Proposition 11 gives a school property tax exemption for homeowners who are disabled or over 65.
Per KUT News:
Senate Joint Resolution 85 would boost the amount of the state’s homestead exemption — the portion of a home’s value that cannot be taxed to pay for public schools — for residents over 65 or those who have a disability to $60,000, up from the current level of $10,000. Together with another constitutional amendment on the ballot, Proposition 13, this could lift the total homestead exemption for these individuals to $200,000, with an average annual tax savings of about $907.
If the amendment is approved, the state would have to make up for revenue school districts would no longer collect. That could cost Texas about $1.2 billion in the 2026-2027 budget cycle, falling to $477 million per year afterwards before starting to climb again, according to the fiscal note attached to the accompanying legislation, Senate Bill 23.
This is exactly the kind of heinous dichotomy one can expect from the Texas Legislature. Should we reduce the tax burden on old people or fail to educate children?
The same legislators have already shown that they will cut school funding, so I am not inclined to swing the axe for them, despite the impact on older people.
Recommendation: No