AUSTIN – Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation released a report by Policy Analyst Kathleen Hunker examining how the rise in property taxes has created a steady demand for market alternatives to the delinquency process. The report, “Tax Lien Transfers: A Reasonable Means of Rectifying Property Tax Obligations,” outlines a market-based solution for property owners who find themselves unable to pay rising property taxes.
Every year, thousands of Texans find themselves falling behind on their property taxes. Tax lien transfers offer property owners a way to satisfy their tax obligation without having to tread through an expensive delinquency process that could ultimately result in foreclosure and push Texans further into debt. A tax lien transfer does not create a new financial obligation but instead offers a choice for landowners who cannot pay off their tax bill on time or in one lump sum.
“Tax lien transfers offer Texas property owners a reasonable and cost-effective means of bringing their tax debt under control,” said Kathleen Hunker, policy analyst at the Foundation’s Center for Economic Freedom. “Any attempt to deny or delay consumer access to the tax lien transfers will merely cut off property owners from their preferred means of escaping the delinquency process.
“Texas property owners have the right to settle their pre-existing debt in the manner that best aligns with their financial circumstances without having that decision second-guessed by the government. Increasing regulation of this market will not eliminate the reason why that relief was needed. Texans would still have the same tax obligation but simply would have the means to pay it off.”
To read the full report, visit: http://txpo.li/1KGAcih
Kathleen Hunker is a policy analyst in the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.