NC Lawmakers Focus on Property Taxes, Again
State lawmakers on Wednesday continued exploring ways to provide property tax relief to North Carolinians as rising property values in the growing state collide with persistently high everyday costs.
The House Select Committee on Property Tax Reduction and Reform — created last year by House Speaker Destin Hall — met again Wednesday after holding its inaugural meeting last month, hearing presentations from organizations representing cities and counties.
In recent years, Republican legislative leaders have overhauled tax laws to lower income taxes and broaden sales taxes. However, the General Assembly has made relatively few changes affecting property taxes.
Questions remain about how much authority the legislature has to alter property taxes, which are set by local governments. Unlike income and sales taxes, property tax revenue does not flow to the state but stays with the cities and counties that collect it, funding schools, parks, law enforcement, and other local services. Local governments — not the legislature — also determine property tax rates.
While lawmakers say the renewed focus on property taxes is intended to ease housing costs, some local officials have raised concerns that the effort could invite increased legislative scrutiny of local spending decisions.
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