A Texas county appraiser says property taxes have been changing in her community since 1997. What was once an apples to oranges comparison for properties, has become apples to apples, with equal and uniform becoming the costly clause.
Bexar County Deputy Chief Appraiser Mary Kiekie said the expansion of the equal and uniform argument has driven that change.
“Litigation is the ugly thing that nobody knows about,” Kiekie told News 4 San Antonio. “It’s shifting the burden from the commercial properties onto the backs of the homeowners. The tax rates would go down and still generate the same amount if, indeed, commercial properties were paying at the same rate that residential properties were paying at.”
“I know we’ve gotten busier, but I take that as a reflection of the good work that we’re doing,” Texas tax lawyer Raymond Gray told the station. “The appraisal district wants to look at the symptoms and say, ‘Look, lots more lawsuits.’ We want to look at the cause. And the cause is the appraisal district not getting values right, and the appraisal district not making sure that each tax payer is treated fairly.”