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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the posting on the Internet by tax officials of |
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information regarding ad valorem tax rates. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 26, Tax Code, is amended by adding |
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Section 26.16 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 26.16. POSTING OF TAX RATES ON COUNTY'S AND APPRAISAL |
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DISTRICT'S INTERNET WEBSITES. (a) The county assessor-collector |
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for each county that maintains an Internet website and, if the |
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appraisal district established for the county maintains an Internet |
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website, the chief appraiser of the appraisal district shall post |
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on the website of the county or appraisal district, as appropriate, |
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the following information for the most recent five tax years for |
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each taxing unit that imposes taxes in the county in the current tax |
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year: |
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(1) the adopted tax rate; |
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(2) the maintenance and operations rate; |
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(3) the debt rate; |
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(4) the effective tax rate; |
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(5) the effective maintenance and operations rate; and |
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(6) the rollback tax rate. |
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(b) The information described by Subsection (a) must be |
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presented in the form of a table under the heading "Truth in |
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Taxation Summary." |
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(c) The county assessor-collector or chief appraiser shall |
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post immediately below the table prescribed by Subsection (b) the |
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following statement: |
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"The adopted tax rate is the tax rate adopted by the governing |
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body of a taxing unit. |
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"The maintenance and operations rate is the component of the |
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adopted tax rate of a taxing unit that will impose the amount of |
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taxes needed to fund maintenance and operation expenditures of the |
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unit for the following year. |
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"The debt rate is the component of the adopted tax rate of a |
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taxing unit that will impose the amount of taxes needed to fund the |
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unit's debt service for the following year. |
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"The effective tax rate is the tax rate that would generate |
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the same amount of revenue in the current tax year as was generated |
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by a taxing unit's adopted tax rate in the preceding tax year from |
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property that is taxable in both the current tax year and the |
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preceding tax year. |
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"The effective maintenance and operations rate is the tax |
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rate that would generate the same amount of revenue for maintenance |
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and operations in the current tax year as was generated by a taxing |
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unit's maintenance and operations rate in the preceding tax year |
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from property that is taxable in both the current tax year and the |
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preceding tax year. |
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"The rollback tax rate is the highest tax rate a taxing unit |
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may adopt before requiring voter approval at an election. In the |
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case of a taxing unit other than a school district, the voters by |
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petition may require that a rollback election be held if the unit |
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adopts a tax rate in excess of the unit's rollback tax rate. In the |
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case of a school district, an election will automatically be held if |
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the district wishes to adopt a tax rate in excess of the district's |
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rollback tax rate." |
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(d) The comptroller by rule shall prescribe the manner in |
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which the information described by this section is required to be |
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presented. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |