Follow the Money
You pay taxes. City, county, state, federal. Here is where every dollar actually goes -- and who decides.
Tap any card to see the breakdown.
Schoolhouse Rock covered taxes in 1976. The music is dated. The lesson is not.
"Tax Man Max" -- Schoolhouse Rock, 1976. Source: ABC/Disney.
Here is the key thing that video gets right: taxes are not random. They are decisions. Someone decided the property tax rate. Someone decided where the sales tax revenue goes. Someone voted on the city budget. Those someones are your elected officials. And you can show up when they make those decisions.
Tap a source to see who controls it.
Tap a budget to see the breakdown.
Tap to reveal the truth.
Houston property tax protests filed in 2024
400,000+
Harris County Appraisal District processes over 400,000 protests each year. About half result in a lower assessed value. You can file online at hcad.org before May 15.
Go to hcad.org. Search your address. See your assessed value and how your tax bill breaks down between city, county, school, and special districts. That is your money. Know where it goes.
Pick a level -- city, county, or state. Read the one-page budget summary. Notice the biggest line items. Now you know more about public spending than most voters.
City budget hearings happen in June. County in August. State every odd-numbered January through May. Pick one and attend. Public comment is open. Three minutes to say what matters to you.