For Immediate Release
Get a Copy of
A publication from Texas Comptroller Susan Combs’
office can help property owners get the property tax breaks they deserve.
The publication addresses property tax exemptions
offered by various types of taxing units — counties, cities, school districts
and special districts such as municipal utility, community college and hospital
districts — and explains how to qualify and apply for each exemption.
Applications for tax exemptions must be submitted to the appraisal district
office in the county where the property is located.
For example, all homeowners who owned and lived in
their homes on Jan. 1 may file for a $15,000 general exemption from their
home’s value for school taxes. In addition, certain disabled homeowners and
those aged 65 or older may qualify for an additional $10,000 school tax
exemption. A tax freeze, or ceiling, on school taxes is another benefit for
homeowners once they turn 65 or become disabled.
Property tax exemptions are available to disabled
veterans and their surviving spouses.
Productivity appraisal is a type of tax relief
available to owners of agricultural or timberland. Those properties are
appraised based on what they will produce, rather than on their market value.
The publication gives key dates in the annual
property tax cycle, so property owners know what they must do and when they are
required to act to exercise their rights.