Skip to content
Quick Start for:
  • 2000 School Tax Burden
  • Comptroller's Report
  • Railroad Rolling Stock Allocation
  • 2000 School Tax Rate and Rollback Elections
  • Truth-In-Taxation/New Legislature Seminars
  • Attorney General Rulings
  • State Tax Refunds for Economic Development


    • State Tax Refunds for Economic Development
    Companies Must Apply for 2000 Refunds by July 31, 2001
    The Texas Tax Code provides for state tax refunds for economic development. Some Texas property owners may be eligible to receive refunds on their state sales and use taxes and franchise taxes for paying local school taxes.

    Sections 111.301 to 111.304 of the Tax Code address state tax refunds to qualified property owners who entered into property tax abatement agreements after January 1, 1996 with a city or county, but not a school district. A property owner may apply for a refund of state taxes for the school taxes paid, if the owner’s business payroll increased at least $3 million (specific to property in Texas) or the abated property’s appraised value increased by at least $4 million. The maximum refund is the lesser of the school taxes paid or the amount of net sales and use tax and net franchise tax paid in the tax year the refund is claimed.

    The total for all refunds collectively may not exceed $10 million, the amount made available by the Texas Legislature.

    Property owners with tax abatement agreements entered into on or before January 1, 1996 are not eligible for these state refunds.

    July 31 deadline

    Companies wanting a refund of their 2000 school taxes must submit a refund application to the State Comptroller before August 1, 2001.

    The refund application form is available by calling 1-800-252-9121, and choosing number 4. In Austin, call 512/305-9999. The form is also available on the agency’s Window on State Government Web site.To access the form on the Internet, go to www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/taxforms/02-forms.html. The fourth form listed at this site is AP-186, Application for Refund of State Taxes Paid by Person Owning Certain Abated Property.

    Abatement reports

    Tax Code Section 312.005 requires a taxing unit to file with the Comptroller a copy of any tax abatement agreement (and any additional information that the Comptroller requests) before April 1 of the year following the execution of the agreement. The abatement agreement must be on file with the Comptroller before the Comptroller may act upon a refund application.

    Questions

    If you have questions about the refund program, please call Patricia Bailey of the Property Tax Division at 1-800-252-9121, extension 3-4416. In Austin, call 512/463-4416.