Regarding your editorial “The Property Tax Revolt in Texas” (Nov. 7): When I moved back to my hometown in 2014 after 32 years in Fairfax County, Va., friends were envious that I was shedding a state income tax. They didn’t realize that in property taxes alone I now pay multiples of what I once dolled out in an affluent, high-tax Virginian suburb.
The Covid-era housing boom made things worse. My house nearly doubled in assessed value, and others rose even faster. Prices were bid up daily, and though tax rates stayed reasonable, city and county revenues gushed. “Isn’t it great your house is worth so much?” people asked, as my tax bill soared. As economist Herb Stein warned, “if something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” And so did Austin’s housing values, leaving a reckoning behind.
Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8