Two articles in a row about Harris County raising property taxes- wonder why? Who does it benefit just before an election?
Bill King’s $400,000 example is not the median Harris County home. The Census Bureau puts the median value of an owner-occupied home at $276,600 in its 2020–2024 survey. A calculation built around $400,000 overstates the dollar increase for a lower-valued home. Using the median alone would not disprove his 41% figure, though: that percentage could remain the same if the median home’s value rose at exactly the rate his model assumes. He has not shown that it did.
He also assumes only the standard homestead exemption. Harris County homeowners may qualify for additional exemptions based on age or disability. Disabled veterans may qualify for partial exemptions, while a qualifying veteran with a 100% service-connected disability can receive a full exemption on a residence homestead. Military service by itself does not establish eligibility. These differences can dramatically change a homeowner’s bill.
If King wants to say what the average homeowner actually paid, he needs actual tax-bill data, including home values and applicable exemptions. His calculation tells us what happened to the house he invented.
He could have invented a $276,000 home and calculated how much those taxes would have cost, including all property tax allowances citizens have approved.
