The Tax Foundation has released new Census Bureau data showing Fort Bend County standing alone among a sea of New York counties, all painted as having the nation’s highest property taxes.
The list, titled “Top 20 Counties in Median Real Estate Taxes as a Percentage of Median Home Value, includes Fort Bend at No. 11. Every other county is from New York.
The Tax Foundation says the list ranks the nation’s counties with 20,000 or more people according to the median amount of real estate taxes residents pay, calculated as a percentage of the county’s median home value. The foundation averaged figures from 2005, 2006 and 2007.
In Fort Bend, according to the data, residents pay about 2.57% of the value of their homes in property taxes each year. By comparison, residents of nine Louisiana parishes and one Hawaii county pay less than 0.155% of their homes’ value in annual property taxes.
Fort Bend County has fared poorly in Tax Foundation studies for the past several years.
Almost two years ago to the day, the foundation released Census data showing Fort Bend at No. 5 on a similar list ranking property taxes as a percentage of median home value, based on 2006 data.
And using just 2007 data, Fort Bend ranked No. 8 on the same list, showing median property taxes of $4,229 paid on a median home value of $168,800 – equaling about 2.5% of that home’s value.
After the 2006 study was released, Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers speculated that the county fares poorly in the Tax Foundation rankings because so many residents live in unincorporated areas with major residential developments.
Many of those residents pay a portion of their property taxes to taxing entities not commonly found in other states – or even in most other areas of Texas.
One of those entities is known as the LID, or Levy Improvement District. Residents behind a maze of levees pay property taxes for the upkeep of those wide clay-and-grass walls, in return for the protection they provide in the event of a flooding Brazos River.
But, “the biggest reason is because of the municipal utility districts,” Meyers said at the time. “We’ve got 160 MUDs alone in Fort Bend County.”
Each of them levy property taxes on the residents within their boundaries.
31. January 2009 at 3:19 pm
I’m happy I can aford to live in MC one of the top places to live in the US….
31. January 2009 at 9:14 am
Appealing local appraisal boards?
All but barely, it’s just fiscally draining any which way ya play it. I wish my golfin’ buddy was here, he’d give ya a piece of his mind on that, but unfortunately other things worthy to attend to are sadly more pressing….although I’ve never protested, I’ll leave that all up to you. Fore now–good luck!
31. January 2009 at 8:19 am
“even when we can no longer aford the free ride (corporate welfare).”…..hahaha “aford a freeride……btw how is ol’ MNR?
31. January 2009 at 6:30 am
The tax burden for Fort Bend taxpayers is worsened by the MUDs, LIDs, and for MoCity taxpayers, a Golf Course which will cause the taxbase strapped MoCity Government to increase City taxes for years to come. The situation in Missouri City is interesting. Residents have swallowed the malarkey that the City can afford two Golf Courses and acres of parkland without increasing property taxes. In the face of an increasing recession, MoCity’s budget will become tighter and taxes will go higher and for what purpose? – so non/MoCity residents can pay cheap green fees and play golf… Justice and fairness in MoCity is whatever the Mayor wants it to be.
30. January 2009 at 4:21 pm
Dos, factually, aos -over the last few years we have seen record property tax increases even with a down economy. Last year a record number of appeals was filed with our local appraisal board. The board members are selected by the local taxing entities. With their obligation being to those administrators and boards, who do you think they are going to side with? What’s really amazing is that they hire lobbyist for most of this entities to oppose appraisal and rate caps, which hurt all of us. Keep speaking up. The public needs to know how the system is stacked and how we are misled by a few sheeple for the special interest who feed at the taxpayers trough, even when we can no longer aford the free ride (corporate welfare).
30. January 2009 at 8:25 am
Ha, maybe Kampf should board a plane to visit DC? It’s of my personal knowledge (if one is not an honorable elected official) that it’s the narcisstic altitudes, that taxes high on your nerves…
I would love ya to spin that to your tax advantage, but as they say that’s life! You play to pay for what you make it worth…
30. January 2009 at 7:09 am
Good point dos, but don’t count on any support from most of our local elected officials. They need to be one of the most highly taxed communities in Texas and the US to keep their budget coffers full of our money.
30. January 2009 at 6:49 am
who would have thought change meant higher taxes….doncha just love it?
30. January 2009 at 6:30 am
I, stand quite disappointed to the fact that my Community ETJ appears “factually too expensive” to acquire until the year 2018? Exclusions to voting in propositional ammendments and political positions, were of course the first thought to register within my mind.
Several years prior, upon my attendance to Sugar Land City Council — I indeed had been following my HOA Board through the inquiry process as well, via the SLCC Minutes. So with being woefully said…I”‘m at a loss”. Kinda makes ya wander why we just don’t move into the SL City limits, because in keeping up with my fiscal researching abilities, it seems the City Manager & Council has being doing a fine job keeping the taxes at the present percentage.
30. January 2009 at 6:14 am
Our present economic woes tend to make an increase in taxes or bonuses and raises in general as not being in tune with the plight of the people.
30. January 2009 at 5:34 am
I think its time for a good old fashioned taxpayer revolt to protest high taxes. Let’s start with Missouri City residents (52 cents per $100 valuation) that have to pay more than Stafford (no City taxes) and Sugar Land residents (30 cents per $100). Missouri City has raised taxes for the past two years and will raise them for at least the next two years to pay for golf course losses and green fees.