Dealing with Texas Tax Appraisal Office . . .

As a result of my recent VA increase in disability ratings, I rushed down to the county appraisal office to have my taxes reduced.  In some states that would the "tax assessor's office" but Texas it is the Appraisal Office.  Each county has one.

Texas as a state authority does not tax property, that is there is no state appraisal office.  All property taxing matters are at a county level.  Texas prides itself on say that there are no state property taxes even though the state regulates most of them with limits and definitions of the taxes.  Thus for instance there is a local property tax for education and schools.  And each school district can regulate its own taxes up to the state limit.  That is there is a maximum rate that can be assessed.  Not all counties go to the maximum, many do not need to do so, but big cities like Fort Worth and Dallas go to the maximum and even have a five year abatement period they can make use of if the population agrees to the tax increase by popular vote.   But at the end of the period of evoking the maximum limit the limit must revert to the state maximum again.  This prevents the abuse of the taxing power of the local school board that would at moments notice spend all your money on their wants. 

There are other little rules that I discovered.  One for instance is one must file for an exemption before 1 May of the year or have to wait until next year.  Fortunately, the VA paper work arrived before 1 May, in fact I just got the exemption in by 25 April to the Appraisal office.  So while at the time I was ignorant of that little proviso, God smiled upon me and I got it in in the nick of time.  I fretted by little review the following week would have been ignored but it was not and they made the necessary changes.

But I had to go through the review twice.  I filed and noted only a minor reduction in taxes.  I thought that to be not correct and went back and questioned the decision.  I showed additional paper that showed the increase in rating dated from 17 February not just 25 April as dated the information letter from the VA.  They dutifully copied the new and precise data and made changes.  The difference was startling and very beneficial to me and Judie.

The difference went from $5,500 or so to $715.93.  That is a big difference and I am glad I went down a second time and talked with them.  I did not get angry just pointed out the correct dates to apply the new VA rating.  And they accepted that immediately.  I thought that was very nice of them.

I know if I had waited there was no way they were going to pay me back the excess.  I would have been stuck for the higher amount of taxes.  Tax people do not like to give back anything.

I think the taxes will further diminish next year as there is a prorate between the effective date and the beginning of the year, or a month and half of higher taxes, then down to the low level.  Next year it will be for the full year, so I should see another reduction but of a more reasonable amount, maybe a couple of hundred dollars at best.

So the VA benefits are beginning to pay off.  I am sure the less fortunate veterans really get a good deal for them individually.  They need it.  I need it less so, but deserve just as much as I have literally sacrifice years off my life due to the disabilities.  I would rather not have the disabilities but that is not for me to determine, it was between God and the Veterans Administration to do so.