The Latest About Unfair Tax Collection After the Bastrop Fire
by Bob Parmelee
Chairman, Bastrop County Taxpayers’ Association
In the meeting of the BCTA on Friday, November 18th, the subject was tax relief for the fire victims. I congratulate County Commissioner Willie Pina for venturing forth into this nest of taxpayers and voters. However it remains to be seen if Mr. Pina will become an advocate or an observer. Here’s hoping for the former.
Virtually everyone present expressed surprise that “Taxing Entities” are backpedaling on their public support for efforts to correct a major wrong –- the over taxation of fire victims. However, the cameras have stopped rolling and the microphones have switched off — and some of our more irresponsible and insincere politicians have tacked away from their rhetoric about “compassion” and doing the right thing. Will they get away with it? I don’t think so. Moreover, any elected politician who comes down on the wrong side of this issue should seriously contemplate a career change.
Here’s a simple summary.
- Property owners are taxed on the value of their property as of Jan 1st of the year.
- The underlying assumption is that the property will exist through the duration of the year and then a new tax appraisal will be provided.
- In early September 2011 there were severe fires which wiped out 1709 “structures” in Bastrop County.
- If affected property owners do not receive a tax rebate or credit for the last one third of the year, then they will have OVERPAID their taxes. If not corrected, this is a form of theft.
- The mechanics for tax relief stemming for natural disasters have been clearly defined by the State of Texas.
- The tax entities (county, county road, cities, school districts), now need to do the RIGHT THING and get on with tax relief. Just GET ON WITH IT.
Several of our members are proposing strategies and tactics for dealing with the situation. These strategies will be refined in the next few days.
Here is my opinion piece which appeared in the Bastrop Advertiser on Saturday, Nov 19. http://bastropadvertiser.com/2011/11/21/can-taxing-entities-extend-a-hand-to-victims/.
What you can do to help…For now, contact all of your friends, relatives and acquaintances who lost a home in the fires. Ask them to contact me if they want their excess tax money returned. We need to mobilize. As Ben Franklin said,
“If we don’t hang together, we will hang alone.”
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We Meet
each fourth Wednesday of the month, 7PM, in the Training Room (second floor) of the First National Bank, Bastrop, TX. The next BCTA meeting date -
January 25, 2012
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