Senate Bill 889 grew out of growing concern about rising local property taxes, which some lawmakers say make it tougher for some residents to remain in their homes. Photo: Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline)
The Senate on Tuesday gave a thumbs up to a bill to stop local governments from instituting property tax revaluation changes in 2026.
Senate Bill 889 grew out of growing concern about rising local property taxes, which some lawmakers say make it tougher for some residents to remain in their homes.
Sen. Steve Jarvis (Photo: NC General Assembly)“We have seen an extensive increase in property values, something in the double digits that we’ve never seen in the history [of the state],” said Sen. Steve Jarvis (R-Davidson), a primary sponsor of S889.
Jarvis is a member of a Senate property tax working group studying property tax reform. A similar House committee is also examining property tax reform.
S889 would apply to Davidson, Guilford, Bladen, Buncombe, Harnett, Onslow, Pender and Scotland counties, Jarvis said.
An amendment by Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon) to remove several smaller counties — those with populations of 15,000 or less — from the moratorium was approved.
“These smaller counties face a relatively higher financial burden during the reappraisal process, and this change will allow them to continue their reappraisal year as planned,” Corbin said.
Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) (Photo: NCGA)Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) told reporters that legislators must act on the moratorium soon if they want to help people in affected counties because counties are in the middle of their budget process now.
“Not calling this time-out means that the folks in the affected counties are not going to get the benefit of whatever legislation or possibly not the benefit of any legislation that could come forward in the future,” Berger said.
He said the taxpayers most affected are the ones who can least afford higher property taxes.
“I know that in the counties that are affected by the moratorium, there are significant discrepancies in terms of who is facing the burden of higher property tax payments,” Berger said. “In many instances, the folks that are getting hit the hardest are folks at the lower end of the income scale, folks that are on fixed incomes.”
The amendment also extends the deadline for taxpayers to appeal revaluations this year and in 2027. The moratorium would not prohibit local governments from increasing tax rates.
Some Democrats and local government advocacy groups have criticized the proposed moratorium, contending it will force local governments to cut services.
An amendment by Sen. Woodson Bradley (D-Mecklenburg) to prohibit corporations that own 100 or more single-family rental homes in the state’s larger counties from buying more homes was voted down.
Critics argue that corporate purchasers of single-family homes for rental properties are out-competing regular buyers, reducing inventory and contributing to higher home prices.
Property tax revaluations could soon be put on hold for some NC counties
“In counties across the state, we’re watching out-of-state corporations buy up single family homes by the hundreds,” Bradley said. “They’re not purchasing these homes to live in, nor to become your neighbor. They are purchasing them to turn them into lines on a spreadsheet for rental portfolios.”
Bradley’s amendment also called for redirecting money from the state’s controversial school voucher program to the North Carolina Housing Trust Fund to build affordable housing.
“The Housing Trust Fund is the most effective tool we have for building workforce housing in every corner and every county of our state,” Bradley said.
Sen. Natalie Murdock (D-Durham) (Photo: ncleg.gov)Sen. Natalie Murdock (D-Durham) also filed an amendment to make sweeping changes to the state’s property tax relief programs for seniors and disabled veterans. Murdock’s amendment also called for redirecting money from the school voucher program.
Murdock withdrew her amendment before a vote at the request of Sen. Benton Sawrey (R-Johnston), who said the Senate’s property tax working group is already reviewing proposals to reform the tax relief programs.
“I’m concerned that if we vote this down, if we table it, if we substitute it, that it might impact our further deliberations,” Sawrey said.
A provision in Murdock’s amendment called for increasing the disabled veterans tax exclusion from $45,000 to $75,000.
Sen. Val Applewhite (D-Cumberland), a 100% disabled veteran, said she recently applied for the tax break after Cumberland County’s revaluation.
Sen. Val Applewhite (D-Cumberland) (Photo: NCGA)Applewhite said North Carolina’s disabled veterans want to see the state move to a 100% property tax exclusion for disabled veterans like veterans in some neighboring states enjoy.
“We cannot call ourselves the most veteran friendly state if we’re not even matching the states around us,” Applewhite said.
Democratic Senate Leader Sydney Bath (D-Wake) said there’s bipartisan support for improving the state’s property tax exclusion programs to make them more accessible to more people.
“If you’re someone who has a revaluation but your income is low, a lot of people are losing their homes because they just can’t afford the taxes,” Batch said. “We’re trying to figure out a way to backfill and make sure they don’t lose their houses, which is the only way most North Carolinians, and really Americans, are able to build their wealth.”
The bill received bipartisan support on a 36-9 vote. It remains on the Senate calendar for a final vote Wednesday. It would then go to the state House for consideration. House Republican leaders have expressed caution about a blanket one-year moratorium.
Hence then, the article about bill to put property taxes on hold gets initial senate nod was published today ( ) and is available on NC news line ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Bill to put property taxes on hold gets initial Senate nod )
Also on site :
- Has social justice become the new religion of the West?
- Inside the chaos at Canoo, the zero-revenue, cash-burning EV company that just inked a major deal with Walmart
- Why This Hidden SoCal Valley’s Historic Hot Springs Deserve A Detour This Summer