Vulnerable Texas Democrat double dipped on property tax exemption for at least 8 years

A vulnerable House Democrat in Texas double dipped on a property tax exemption for at least eight years. From 2014 to 2021, Democrat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas and his wife skirted around Texas property tax laws by both claiming a homestead exemption on two properties they separately owned, the Texas Tribune first reported. 

Gonzalez, an attorney by trade, claimed the exemption on his McAllen property currently worth $527,054, while his wife claimed the exemption on a second property in the city valued at $287,131.

Homestead exemptions help alleviate the tax burden on primary properties in Texas, only allowing for a portion of the property’s value to be taxed.