🚨 HUGE - GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS full steam ahead on abolishing PROPERTY TAXES by constitutional amendment: "You ought to be able to own [your home] free and clear of the government! The notion that you should be just paying rent to them indefinitely - people have been pinched by… pic.twitter.com/ED8ukXtGIa

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 9, 2025

All states should do the same. The RHINO excuses in Austin are thin and weak.

He had better have a plan to substitute that revenue or reduce spending equally, or that state is screwed.

Based

They'll just end up paying a different tax.

Ghost of Andrew Eaton said:

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They'll just end up paying a different tax.

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That's fine. You shouldn't have to rent property you supposedly own from the government.

Sounds great on paper. Just know there will be big trade-offs. Either a big increase in other taxes, or cutting of services that've always been taken for granted.

Plus, there will always be significant unintended consequences nobody thinks about.

Jack my sales tax up to offset property tax. Property Tax is theft.

CDUB98 said:

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He had better have a plan to substitute that revenue or reduce spending equally, or that state is screwed.

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Uh, it's right there on the sign on the podium. Sales tax.

Ghost of Andrew Eaton said:

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They'll just end up paying a different tax.

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Or cutting spending. They have also been helped by a large influx of people from high tax states because of moves like this to help carry the government burden.

Less taxes is almost always the right way to go.

Government spending is out of control and reducing it is logical, as long as our populace can go back to personal responsibility and quit relying on the nanny state to take care of them.

That's not a crazy idea. I like that idea and I will support it.

It's not eliminating all property taxes. Sounds like they are going to try to get all the revenue from non-Homestead and out of state owners of property

BMX Bandit said:

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It's not eliminating all property taxes. Sounds like they are going to try to get all the revenue from non-Homestead and out of state owners of property

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So punish the folks with second homes. If they don't do that, then they are looking at ~15% sales tax to cover shortfalls from a total ban of property taxes.

So I did the math a few weeks ago. The data was a few years old, but I'm pretty sure this is somewhat close.

2023: $81.4 billion in property taxes ($36.6 billion on residential only)

So, if you look at Texas sales tax collection for 2023 it was $46.58 billion.

Which means $745.28 billion was "sales tax" eligible in the state (and I will remind you that includes VISITORS to the state so the new tax burden would be on people who come here and use our resources then leave.)

If you took all property taxes - residential only - and put that into the state sales tax or as a separate ISD sales tax by district (which is also good - then people can more easily see how ISDs are wasting your money).

The sales tax would have to increase from 6.25% (plus your local sales taxes, typically 2.25%) up to 11.1% or 13.35% with local.

Again, people visiting the State would be contributing to the sales tax revenue and share the burden while removing property taxes from your homes. Now your home being paid off is ACTUALLY YOURS.

Plus, if I don't want to spend a ton of money buying expensive things then I pay less sales tax. But, with the burden of property taxes being all due in a single payment being smoothed over in every day transactions, people may actually feel more economic freedom than having the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads forever.

Thoughts?

PS> Would add that we should have amendments to the Texas Constitution that limits sales taxing authority in some manner that would prevent ISDs from imposing 10% sales taxes in their districts. Etc. etc. etc. Need to control it by the will of the voters and use of referendums some how to make sure politicians don't screw it up like everything else they touch.

BMX Bandit said:

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It's not eliminating all property taxes. Sounds like they are going to try to get all the revenue from non-Homestead and out of state owners of property

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I could definitely get behind something like that here in Texas.

I am 1000% for...

• Paying property taxes. Too may people think that being free means that you shouldn't pay anything!
• Paying property taxes allows you to vote on local taxes. Remove Homestead! If you own a home the USA, you pay taxes. If you do not pay taxes, you do not have a vote to increase or decrease taxes!

Not a fan of property taxes, but they do have one advantage in a state with a high number of illegal immigrants. Income and sales taxes can be evaded through a cash economy, but property taxes are paid by renters and homeowners alike. Everyone needs a place to live. Instead of abolishing them, I would support freezing them (for homestead only) at the time of transfer.

caleblyn said:

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I am 1000% for...

• If you do not pay taxes, you do not have a vote to increase or decrease taxes!

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let's do that with federal and state income taxes too

CDUB98 said:

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He had better have a plan to substitute that revenue or reduce spending equally, or that state is screwed.

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Flat sales tax on everything except food. Higher sin taxes on Alcohol and THC products.

That is fair to everyone.

Kansas Kid said:

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Ghost of Andrew Eaton said:

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They'll just end up paying a different tax.

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Or cutting spending. They have also been helped by a large influx of people from high tax states because of moves like this to help carry the government burden.

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Bless your heart.

Jeeper79 said:

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BMX Bandit said:

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It's not eliminating all property taxes. Sounds like they are going to try to get all the revenue from non-Homestead and out of state owners of property

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I could definitely get behind something like that here in Texas.

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Which means tax on commercial property will go up and prices will go up. You're going to pay it one way or another. Sounds like you'd rather pay a little at a time so you don't really notice how much you're paying.

ChemAg15 said:

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Jack my sales tax up to offset property tax. Property Tax is theft.

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But sales tax isn't? Hmmmm

Sales tax puts the power in the hands of the taxpayer. It would then incentivize the government to maintain a healthy economy in order to maintain tax revenues. Taxing accumulated wealth and income, and property is part of that, is just theft. Liberty is very closely associated with the ability to make and keep money, which is one of the reason tyrants love to tax it.

doubledog said:

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CDUB98 said:

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He had better have a plan to substitute that revenue or reduce spending equally, or that state is screwed.

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Flat sales tax on everything except food. Higher sin taxes on Alcohol and THC products.

That is fair to everyone.

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You were so close and then you lost it there at the end.

Slicer97 said:

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Ghost of Andrew Eaton said:

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They'll just end up paying a different tax.

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That's fine. You shouldn't have to rent property you supposedly own from the government.

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Or be taxed on unrealized gains. Personally, if we want to do this, tax the value of the house with which you bought it at.

Martin Cash said:

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ChemAg15 said:

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Jack my sales tax up to offset property tax. Property Tax is theft.

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But sales tax isn't? Hmmmm

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Taxing is not theft. If you don't like it, move to Somalia.

By that same token, everyone needs clothes, food, fuel, energy, etc.

No sales tax on milk, eggs, bread, rice, fresh/canned vegetables, and meats/fish; but, chips, cookies, sodas, etc all fair game.

Why should anyone get to live here without contributing something back. We don't have a state income tax and be glad as half the state would pay none of those either and we would be supporting half the population who vote for more free stuff for themselves.

Either end property taxes when people turn 65 on their "primary" home or remove property taxes all together and move to consumption taxes.

You can put higher tax rates on luxury items that would put the burden on the more affluent so you still have the rich "paying their fair share" as the left likes to whine about constantly.

Tennessee has no income tax, highish sales taxes (but not dramatically higher), and very low property taxes in most locations (some cities have raised the local property tax for their own uses). How does Tennessee balance its budget?

My thoughts are that we are asking governments to tie themselves to a revenue stream that will fluctuate based on economic conditions. I don't really have a problem with that but most governments are not going to do this. If I'm them, I'm moving from a steady (always increasing) revenue stream to one that is static and can actually fluctuate downward in times of economic doldrums.

If Desantis can pull this off, then more power to him. I also think he's in a one of a kind situation where he could potentially pull this off.

All property taxes or just homestead? Rental and commercial properties still being taxed? I can see the argument for the former (renting your own home from the government), but not the latter (unless you just think all taxes should be abolished which is a subject for another thread).

Property tax is immoral and goes against a fundamental principle this country was founded on

I agree with these concepts. Texans are so enamored with saying there is no income tax that we have become oblivious to the terrible effects of very high property taxes.

Property taxes are wealth taxes
They tax unearned gains
They mean you never own your home
They can tax retirees out of their homes
You pay no matter how much you earn that year
They are increase unpredictably and upon the whim of a small local board incentivized to ever increase revenue

Yes governments must tax the people to pay for government services and yes if property taxes are eliminated taxes will go up elsewhere (preferably sales tax in my opinion).

Property taxes are the absolute worst form of taxation.

We should make billionaires and corporations pay all taxes. So if a business makes something then sales it they pay the taxes.

That way you can eliminate property taxes and sales taxes!

DeSantis really seems to be floating on an island these days if these are his grand ideas. Maybe Hank Johnson is right about Florida.

KingofHazor said:

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Tennessee has no income tax, highish sales taxes (but not dramatically higher), and very low property taxes in most locations (some cities have raised the local property tax for their own uses). How does Tennessee balance its budget?

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They only have 7M people and not a single city over 1M.