Governor Abbott campaigns in Tyler
Posted/updated on: November 14, 2025 at 9:39 pm
TYLER — Governor Greg Abbott stopped in Tyler on Wednesday afternoon to discuss his plans to reduce property taxes and strengthen support for local businesses across the state. Abbott outlined a five-point plan aimed at lowering property taxes for Texans and emphasized his commitment to help small businesses by reducing government regulations and reducing costs.
The governor was joined by several East Texas lawmakers, including Rep. Daniel Alders, Rep. Jay Dean, Rep. Cole Hefner, Rep. Brent Money and Rep. Joanne Shofner, along with other local officials.
On Sunday, Abbott launched his campaign for a fourth term as governor, unveiling new proposals aimed at curbing local property tax increases. This comes shortly after Texas voters approved two constitutional amendments in the November election designed to provide additional property tax relief to homeowners.
- Proposition 11 increases the school district property tax exemption for Texans who are elderly or disabled.
- Proposition 13 raises the general homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 for all homeowners, reducing the taxable value of their homes for school property taxes.
“It’s time to drive a stake through the heart of local property tax hikes for good,” Abbott said during his campaign announcement. “We are going to turn the tables on local taxing authorities, put the power with the people, and put an end to out-of-control property taxes in Texas.”
The Texas Taxpayer Empowerment event will take place at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at ETX Brewing Company, 221 South Broadway Ave. in Tyler.
Abbott said he has prioritized small businesses and made several changes to state regulations to support local companies throughout the state.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and we passed laws to cut all the red tape and lower the cost of doing business in the state,” Abbott said.
Three million small businesses are registered to operate in Texas, representing more than 95% of all companies in the state. Abbott said he has successfully changed regulations to support these businesses.
During the 89th Legislative Session, lawmakers passed legislation Abbott said aims to help small businesses develop and operate with fewer government restrictions while lowering taxes and costs.
Key bills include:
House Bill 9: Increases the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000 — nearly a 5,000% increase.
- House Bill 346: Allows the Secretary of State to offer expedited business filings, enabling small businesses to be established more quickly.
- House Bill 2464: Prevents cities from imposing regulations on certain home-based businesses.
- House Bill 5195: Requires state agencies to assess and modernize their websites to make it easier to do business.
“We believe money is better spent in the hands of our business owners as opposed to the hands of government and that’s what we delivered for our small business in Texas,” Abbott said.”
As Texans continue to face affordability challenges, one of the leading factors, Abbott said, is rising property taxes. To address the issue, he proposed five solutions through his 5-Point Property Tax Relief Plan.
Abbott said limiting excessive spending in local jurisdictions is key to reducing property taxes.
“One way you stop property tax increases is by stopping the spending that leads to property tax increases,” Abbott said. “If you had no increases in spending, you would have no increases in property taxes.”
Abbott is also calling for Texans to vote on every property tax increase, requiring a two-thirds vote for any change.
“You have a property tax increase without having a say in which should not happen; you should have a say in everything that will affect the ability to stay in your home,” Abbott said.
Abbott said he wants to give Texans the power to roll back property tax rates approved by local jurisdictions.
“I want to give the people the ability to vote on rolling back tax rates, you’re going to keep your own property tax cut,” Abbott said.
Abbott also proposed putting a cap on appraisal growth and requiring appraisals only once every five years instead of annually.
“There is no reason that we have to go through that appraisal process every year it should be reduced to one time every five years,” Abbott said.
Abbott proposed eliminating school district property taxes for homeowners.
“If you pay your property tax bill, you know that the largest part of the bill is your school district property tax, which is forcing so many people out of their homes.”
Abbott said voters should have the right to decide whether to eliminate the school district property tax in Texas.
“These five policies ensure that you will be able to live in your home for the rest of your life and truly own your home as opposed to renting it from the government,” Abbott said.
Abbott emphasized that he will continue to campaign for reduced property taxes and is committed to resolving the issue impacting Texans across the state.
“I’m going to make this my primary point across, and I can guarantee you we are going to get the laws passed that end your property tax problems in Texas,” Abbott said.
