TEXAS — Anthony Nguyen has owned his home in Round Rock, Texas, for more than a decade.
He said his property taxes have doubled to $8,000 a year.
“Taxes are too high,” said Nguyen.
Homeowners like him statewide are feeling the pinch of rapidly rising bills. It’s the reason some state lawmakers have made it their mission to lower property taxes.
On the 2025 ballot, there are 17 statewide propositions. Many statewide leaders, like Gov. Greg Abbott, are urging voters to pass all of them. In particular, Abbott has been an advocate for increasing property tax exemptions. On the ballot, there are several propositions aimed at lowering property taxes for homeowners.
Proposition 7: Establishes a property tax exemption on all or part of the market value of the homestead of a surviving spouse of a veteran who died from a service-connected illness.
Proposition 9: Authorizes the Legislature to exempt a portion of the market value of tangible personal property that a person owns that is held or used for the production of income, such as business equipment or tools.
Proposition 10: Provides a temporary homestead exemption for improvements made to homes destroyed by a fire.
Proposition 11: Raises the homestead exemption even higher—to $200,000 for those over 65 or people with disabilities, if Proposition 13 passes as well.
Proposition 13: Increases the standard homestead exemption for properties occupied as the homeowner’s primary residence from $100,000 to $140,000.
Proposition 17: Provides for an exemption for property that is on the U.S.-Mexico border if the value of the home rises because of the installation or construction on the property of border security infrastructure and other related improvements.
“What you can do by voting on these statewide propositions, you can alter the arc of the future of Texas. … You can make our communities better, safer. A lot of them have to do with cutting or banning taxes,” said Abbott in a recent press conference.
Nguyen is not just the average homeowner. He was also on the board of the Travis County Central Appraisal District from 2018 to 2022. It taught him a lot about how the system works. Nguyen said that under Propositions 7, 10, 11 and 13, owners of commercial property will not benefit.
“As a selfish homeowner, sure I want it. But if I own commercial property or I rent out an apartment, I don’t want it because my rent will continue to rise,” said Nguyen.
But small businesses could see relief with Proposition 9.
Nguyen said these proposals will lower the share of property taxes, but they will not lower the spending of all entities.
While all Texas voters will see the propositions, voters in several other local areas will see additional local property tax increases and bond proposals on their individual ballots.
For example, in Austin, city leaders are asking voters to hike property taxes by 20%. It’s known as Proposition Q on the ballot. It aims to address the city’s $33 million deficit. Some people against this proposition believe the city is already unaffordable.
For homeowners trying to balance the rising costs of ownership, they are going to have to make a choice about how much of the burden should fall on property owners on Election Day.
“It’s a difficult balancing act… to keep property taxes low, which is very difficult in Texas because you’re right, we don’t have an income tax,” said Nguyen.