Lt. Gov. Patrick Announces Tax Relief Deal for Seniors, Gives Update on Senate Progress

[Elderberry]

Texas Scorecard by Luca Cacciatore April 3, 2025

Although Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said he has found Speaker Dustin Burrows easy to agree with, he insisted that “now’s the time to get into action.”

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has announced he is working on a deal with House Speaker Dustin Burrows to give senior citizens significant property tax relief.

The announcement was made on Thursday during a press conference reviewing senators’ progress this session, where he also gave updates on energy policy, the investigation of the Texas Lottery, and impeachment reform.

The Senate budget proposal, Senate Bill 1, already includes contingent funding for a significant raise in the homestead exemption—the amount a homeowner can deduct from the value of his or her house before it is taxed.

Senators passed Senate Bill 4 in February, creating the framework. The measure increases the homestead exemption from $100,000 for adults and $110,000 for seniors to $140,000 for adults and $150,000 for seniors.

However, Patrick said on Thursday that he is working on a deal to raise the exemption for seniors even further to $200,000 as budget negotiations with Burrows continue.

“That will remove almost every senior in the State of Texas … from paying any M&O [maintenance and operations] taxes anymore,” said Patrick.

In Texas, M&O taxes are a portion of property taxes that fund the day-to-day operations of local government, including salaries, utilities, and other expenses.

More: https://texasscorecard.com/state/lt-gov-patrick-announces-tax-relief-deal-for-seniors-gives-update-on-senate-progress/

[catfish1957]

This is up there with taxing my social security....   I really don't deserve taxation relief on fun money. 

My property taxes were frozen at age 65.  That's enough.  As fiscally conservative and miserly I am,  do we really need to give added fodder for class warfare?

Don't get me wrong, I'll take it, but just want to head off any "In advance Ebeneezer" accusations, by endorsing.

[andy58-in-nh]

This is up there with taxing my social security....   I really don't deserve taxation relief on fun money. 

My property taxes were frozen at age 65.  That's enough.  As fiscally conservative and miserly I am,  do we really need to give added fodder for class warfare?

Don't get me wrong, I'll take it, but just want to head off any "In advance Ebeneezer" accusations, by endorsing.

Try living in the Northeast...

I'm over age 65 and there's no cap on my property taxes, which have tripled in the past 25 years.

And if I earn too much on part-time work, my social security is taxed as well. I also pay the highest electricity cost in the entire country ($500+ a month), and our food prices are among the highest in the nation.

Bottom line: the insane cost of living here is basically forcing us to move.... but high interest rates and home prices are making that difficult, too. 

[catfish1957]

Try living in the Northeast...

I'm over age 65 and there's no cap on my property taxes, which have tripled in the past 25 years.

And if I earn too much on part-time work, my social security is taxed as well. I also pay the highest electricity cost in the entire country ($500+ a month), and our food prices are among the highest in the nation.

Bottom line: the insane cost of living here is basically forcing us to move.... but high interest rates and home prices are making that difficult, too.

Feel your pain....

We spend about half our time in Illinois, but make it a point to live here (Texas) 50.01% of the time.  I put the pen to it, and figured the added taxes to change our residence up there would be somewhere between $60-$70K/annually.    Then add another $25K in difference in cost of living?   Yeah, that's a blue-red state difference, but I'd bet that is probably what you would be dealing with there  too.