The Brief An AI analysis of 20,000 Texas property owners found hundreds are illegally claiming  Homestead Exemption.  Fraud involving the Texas homestead exemption is likely denying public school districts millions in lost revenue. Journalist Charles Blain calls for homestead exemption cheaters to be prosecuted.



An independent investigation of Texas property owners claiming  homestead exemptions  indicates cheating is common, widespread and potentially costing local governments hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Texas homestead exemption fraud investigation

What they're saying:

Acting on reports of unscrupulous activity and lax local oversight of the generous exemption, journalist and longtime FOX 26 contributor Charles Blain employed artificial intelligence to analyze a sample of 20,000 mostly Harris County exemption holders.

The analysis turned up more than 600 likely cheaters, including  double dippers  claiming the exemption on multiple homes and corporations illegally claiming the tax break on scores of properties.

 What you will find is that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of different ineligible properties getting exemptions, whether they are owned by LLC's, which is outright not allowed in state law, or there are people who have two homestead exemptions in the same county or one in one county and one in another. I think they kind of see it as the wild, wild west, and they can run it as long as they can and eventually, if they get caught, they just lose the exemption,  said Blain.

The backstory:

State lawmakers, led by Houston State Senator Paul Bettencourt and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, have sought to give substantial property tax relief via the Homestead exemption, which currently renders the first $140,000 of a primary residence's value exempt from school property taxes. Seniors get an even larger break at $200,000.

Why you should care:

Blain says those claiming the exemption improperly are cheating both local schools and fellow taxpayers.

 It matters for us. Our property tax goes up to pay for what's missing. And it matters to the entities that go wit

#fox26houston   #crimewatchhouston