File photo
File photo
Harris County has expanded property tax exemptions to include homeowners with disabilities or who are 65 years old or older.
The Community Impact Newspaper reported the county's Commissioners Court approved an increase that will give tax exemptions to the disabled and seniors, which will apply to county taxes, the Harris County Flood Control District and the Harris Health System.
"This is a good thing because people who are older and on a fixed income, we ought to give them — it's not a lot of relief — but it's some relief," Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said.
The exemptions come at a time to give seniors and the disabled some relief as property values continue to rise, though the impact will have minimal effect on anyone unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This is a shifting [of] ... who pays the taxes and we levy about $3.2 billion between these four entities, and this is about a $36 million shift, so it's about a 1% shift from everyone else to individuals who are 65 and disabled," Chief Budget Officer Bill Jackson told the Community Impact Newspaper. "This does not actually lower or raise taxes, in total. It shifts [who's paying them]."
More information on the property tax exemptions can be found at the Harris County Appraisal District's website.
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