If you feel like your property tax bill has gone up faster than your paycheck, you’re not imagining things. Across the country, property taxes have soared as home values jumped during and after the pandemic.
Since 2020, property tax burdens have climbed as much as 50% in many areas.
Nevada is no exception.
Here’s the problem: even while many states cut income taxes to give families a break, local governments used higher home values as an excuse to rake in more money.
They didn’t have to raise rates. They just sat back and cashed bigger checks because your house was suddenly “worth more on paper.”
For families in Nevada, especially in places like Clark and Washoe counties where housing costs are already through the roof, these rising property tax bills are piling on top of record gas, grocery, and utility prices.
What Other States Are Doing
Nevada lawmakers are hardly alone in facing voter frustration. States all across the map are moving to put limits on runaway property tax growth.
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Georgia voters recently passed a constitutional amendment capping property assessments at the rate of inflation.
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Florida voters approved Amendment 5 to tie the homestead exemption to inflation.
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Even in deep-blue Austin, Texas, voters rejected a local plan to raise property taxes,
Other states are tightening the rules too. Kansas and Utah have strong “Truth in Taxation” laws requiring local governments to mail notices to homeowners and hold public hearings if they want to raise your bill.
Colorado’s “Taxpayer Bill of Rights” goes even further by forcing a public vote on nearly every tax increase.
These reforms give voters power. They make local politicians explain themselves before reaching deeper into your pocket.
What Would Work in Nevada?
According to Americans for Tax Reform, the gold standard is a revenue cap – also called a spending cap.
This would limit how much local governments can collect in property taxes each year, usually tying increases to inflation and population growth. Colorado’s TABOR is the most famous example.
Why does this matter? Because under a revenue cap, politicians can’t just pocket windfalls when property values rise. If they want more than the cap allows, they have to ask voters for permission.
That flips the script, putting taxpayers in control instead of bureaucrats.
Another approach is an assessment limit. California’s Prop 13 and Florida’s Save Our Homes amendment both cap how much the taxable value of your home can go up each year. That shields families from huge spikes.
But assessment caps can cause problems when people move, because a neighbor in an identical house may be paying thousands more just because they bought later.
A third option is a rate limit, which caps the percentage governments can charge. On its own, though, that’s the weakest protection. Rates may be capped, but if property values skyrocket, tax bills still explode.
What Nevada Should Avoid
Not all “reforms” actually help taxpayers.
ATR warns that states like Nebraska and Idaho made a big mistake by simply paying off local governments with state money instead of restraining them.
Nebraska’s so-called “Property Tax Credit Fund” has ballooned from $105 million a year to $430 million, yet property taxes keep climbing.
Another trap is the “tax swap” gimmick, where politicians lower property taxes but raise sales taxes. That just shifts the burden without shrinking government
. Nebraska tried this in 2024, and it collapsed under bipartisan opposition because voters saw it for what it was: a shell game.
The Danger of Ignoring Rising Property Taxes
Nevada is often praised for having no state income tax. But that bragging right doesn’t mean much if families get crushed by ever-rising local taxes.
For Nevada, the best path forward is a strong property tax cap that ties revenue growth to population and inflation, paired with a requirement that voters approve any higher increase.
That would force politicians to live within their means, just like every Nevada family does.
Families Need Real Relief, Not Political Games
Nevada doesn’t need more gimmicks. It doesn’t need shell games or new ways to shuffle tax burdens around.
What Nevada needs is a straightforward property tax limit that keeps government growth under control and gives taxpayers the final say.
Families are already stretched thin. It’s time politicians stop treating them like ATMs and start respecting their budgets as much as their own.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
