Property Tax? (Austin, Richland Hills, Muleshoe: house, school district, income)

[Johnhw2]

I agree with the post above about how different taxes can be. A general rule for you to use to narrow down to an area is, newer developments just outside a city boundary will have MUD taxes to pay for the utilities a city would normally provide if there was a city in that area. Those taxes come down over time to the level of a typical city when the area is near build out. But it can start as high as 1.75% and come down to around .65% like most cities.

[runners]

How can one know which counties have a stiff property tax on private motor vehicles?

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

Texas has 254 counties each having their own taxing authority. I have a rent house in a small town on the south plains (west Texas) and the property taxes there are nearly 3.5% plus the county has a stiff property tax on private motor vehicles less than 10 years old. Only a very small handful of Texas counties have the county vehicle property tax so it is not likely you will land in one of these counties but it would be wise to ask before you move.

[Johnhw2]

Originally Posted by runners

How can one know which counties have a stiff property tax on private motor vehicles?

Each county has a web site that mentions tax rates, not an easy way to look up all the counties but if you have a few in mind it is practical. Ive not paid property tx on a vehicle whether leased or owned in either Dallas area or Houston area for what its worth.

[CptnRn]

Call them and ask. Texas Taxes

If you are talking about a tax on your annual vehicle registration, in Austin, Travis County, I pay a "County Road/Bridge Add-On Fee" of $10 with my annual vehicle registration renewal fee.

When I bought this car new a few years ago I paid a State sales tax of 6.5% = $$$$$ and County Road/Bridge tax of $13.50, no local taxes.

[hoffdano]

The taxes on vehicles in Texas are based on the vehicle's weight, not value. So they are not property taxes.

[Johnhw2]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

The taxes on vehicles in Texas are based on the vehicle's weight, not value. So they are not property taxes.

Isnt there a property tax on business autos which is based upon value? I leaved an Infiniti in houston and avoided this value based tax by swearing the vehicle was not used for business only for personal purposes which avoided the tax. It was a pretty big tax and I understood the personal vehicle exception was a state wide law.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

The taxes on vehicles in Texas are based on the vehicle's weight, not value. So they are not property taxes.

You of course are wrong for a handful of counties. A few Texas counties do have a county tax based on a POV's value. These are additional taxes allowed by the State government for poorer counties to make additional revenue. Bailey County, Texas is one of these counties. Lamb County, (Town of Littlefield) once had the tax but voted it out. Parmer County (where Friona is located) I believe once had this tax but I am not sure if they still have it.

About the only way to find out if a Texas county has this tax is to call the County Tax office and ask. The counties that have this tax appear to keep it under their hats and I've never been able to find a list of them on the internet.

However, I have never paid the tax myself, so I will call Bailey County tomorrow and find out this tax is based on weight or value. I know the last time I spoke to the the appraisal office they called it a county property tax. I also know it is an extra tax that some Texans pay to register their newer than 10-year old POVs and that it can amount to several hundreds of dollars per year.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by runners

How can one know which counties have a stiff property tax on private motor vehicles?

I believe that most of these counties are in poorer west Texas but the only sure way to know is to call the county tax office in your particular county of interest and ask. Most Texans don't even know this property tax exists so don't be surprised if the tax office tells you there is no such tax in Texas. It definitely exists for a handful of Texas counties and, when I lived at Muleshoe, was the very reason I drove a 15 year old truck.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Okay I have learned from the Bailey County Tax Appraisal Office that this tax is an annual tax on all personal vehicles registered in the County that are 10 or less years old. The tax is based on the vehicle's NADA value as of January 1st of the year being taxed. It is NOT based on the vehicle's weight.

I also called a friend who lives at Muleshoe and he told me the first year he owned his new 2004 car (I don't want to get too specific here but it was roughly a 30- to 35,000 car) his tax on that car was almost $600. The second year it was nearly $500, and the third year it dropped slightly. This tax is over and beyond the normal Texas safety inspection and registration fees.

Hopefully, other Texans will now stop implying that I am fibbing about this Texas property tax on personal vehicles.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

Okay I have learned from the Bailey County Tax Appraisal Office that this tax is an annual tax on all personal vehicles registered in the County that are 10 or less years old. The tax is based on the vehicle's NADA value as of January 1st of the year being taxed. It is NOT based on the vehicle's weight.

I also called a friend who lives at Muleshoe and he told me the first year he owned his new 2004 car (I don't want to get too specific here but it was roughly a 30- to 35,000 car) his tax on that car was almost $600. The second year it was nearly $500, and the third year it dropped slightly. This tax is over and beyond the normal Texas safety inspection and registration fees.

Hopefully, other Texans will now stop implying that I am fibbing about this Texas property tax on personal vehicles.

Obviously you found out that some counties have a property tax on vehicles. I thought that had gone away. Travis county does not have such a tax and I don't think the counties in most metros do either.

It is a bummer in any case.