Why Property Taxes Keep Going Up Even When Home Values Stall

Why a property tax bill can rise when home values do not

Many owners open a bill and ask the same question: if my home is not worth much more than last year, why do I owe more? The short answer is that a property tax bill has two moving parts. One is the assessed value of your property. The other is the tax rate set by the school district, county, city and other local bodies. Either can go up on its own.

Governments that budget for more spending can raise rates or leave them untouched while assessments catch up to past sales. Caps on assessment growth can also delay increases, then let them arrive in later years. Cutting rates, by contrast, means giving up revenue that already funds services.

That tension is the subject of a video published November 5, 2026 by the channel Michael Bordenaro Clips, titled "They Don't Want To Lower Your Property Taxes." The video makes a sweeping case. This article separates what is documented about how property taxes work from what the video asserts but does not prove.

What the video argues

Host Michael Bordenaro opens by relaying a viewer's view that real estate lobbies, public-sector unions and local bureaucrats all benefit when assessments rise. He then asks his guest, whom he addresses as Mitch, why efforts to eliminate property taxes meet so much resistance.

The guest's main claims, as presented in the video:

• Property taxes in their current form are not sustainable, and he says he can show this with a spreadsheet he calls a "bond credibility chain."
• Rising bills push people out of homes. He points to neighborhoods with many houses for sale and asks who will buy them.
• He describes Bob Hall, an 84-year-old retired military veteran in Ohio, who bought a house for $24,000 and now faces a $3,800 annual tax bill he says he cannot afford. According to the guest, Hall is being pushed toward a subsidized senior facility costing $86,000 a year.
• He argues that rising valuations are temporary and that taxes erode homeowner equity.
• He says lawsuits he has filed against an appraisal district in Texas were rejected by the Texas Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, which he describes as a constitutional crisis.
• He predicts civil unrest if inflation and tax burdens keep climbing.

Some of these claims describe real pressure points. Others, including allegations of racketeering and of judges violating their oaths, are legal and political assertions that the transcript does not support with documents or independent confirmation. A court declining to hear a case is not the same as a ruling on its merits, and we have not verified the cases he cites.

How a property tax bill is actually calculated

Understanding the math explains most of the frustration. The basic formula is simple, though the inputs vary by state.

Because these steps involve different bodies, a flat market does not guarantee a flat bill. If a district's budget grows, and the tax base does not, the rate often has to rise to raise the same share of revenue. If your assessed value was held below market by a cap, it can keep climbing toward market value even when prices level off.

Some states add guardrails. Texas limits annual growth in the appraised value of a homestead and requires taxing units to calculate certain rate thresholds that can trigger voter approval. Florida's Save Our Homes cap limits annual assessment growth on homesteads. Our report on Florida Amendment 3 and homestead tax relief for Southwest Florida homeowners shows how voters have used the ballot to change those rules. Details differ widely, so check your state's current law.

The incentives that make rate cuts hard

The video frames resistance as a matter of motive. A more structural view points to incentives that do not require any bad faith.

Property tax is a primary local revenue source

In much of the country, school districts and counties rely heavily on property taxes because they are stable and hard to avoid. The U.S. Census Bureau's state and local government finance data is the standard place to see how large that share is in your state. When a revenue source covers payroll, pensions and debt payments, cutting it means cutting spending or finding another source.

Fixed obligations do not shrink when home values stall

Public employee pay, retirement contributions and bond payments are commitments. Costs for materials and services move with inflation. A budget that must cover those items will look for revenue, and the property tax is the lever local officials control.

Rate cuts are visible and spending cuts are visible too

A council that lowers the rate must explain which service shrinks. Residents who benefit from schools, emergency response and roads often resist cuts as strongly as owners resist increases. That dynamic, rather than any single lobby, is why many proposals to eliminate the tax stall.

Interest groups do exist

Bordenaro's guest is right that organized groups have stakes in the outcome. Public-sector employees, contractors and some real estate interests do lobby. So do taxpayer associations and homeowner groups. Influence runs in both directions, and the existence of a lobby does not by itself prove misconduct.

The squeeze on fixed-income and older owners

The most concrete part of the video is the story of an older owner priced out by taxes. We cannot verify the details of Bob Hall's situation, but the pattern is real. Owners who bought decades ago may have paid off their mortgage, yet taxes and insurance continue to rise while retirement income grows slowly or not at all.

This is why many states offer senior exemptions, assessment freezes or deferral programs. Eligibility and benefits vary by state and county, and some require income limits or an application. Owners who qualify but never applied often leave money on the table.

The broader effect on supply is worth watching. If more older owners sell because carrying costs climb, listings rise at a time when younger buyers face affordability limits. That is the question we explored in who will buy boomers' homes if Gen Z can't afford them. Property taxes are one of several ownership costs, along with insurance and maintenance, that shape those decisions. Our look at the cost of living in 2026 and how much of it is housing puts them in context.

Limits and counterpoints to the video's view

A fair reading needs to note where the argument is weak.

• No evidence of fraud is presented. The guest says fraud is "proven" and "deemed admitted," but the transcript offers no case documents. Allegations in a filing are not findings.
• Courts declining review is not endorsement or conspiracy. Higher courts reject many petitions on procedural grounds without commenting on the merits.
• The math is not shown. He cites a spreadsheet that he says tests whether bonds can be repaid, but viewers cannot evaluate it from the video. Independent analysis would be needed.
• Rising assessments are not always temporary. The claim that valuations are a fraud conflicts with how appraisal districts work: they estimate market value from sales data, and errors can be appealed.
• Equity and taxes are separate. Property taxes do not come out of a mortgage amortization schedule. Escrow collects them with the payment, but equity is still driven by principal paid and market value.
• Eliminating the tax has trade-offs. Replacing the revenue with sales or income taxes shifts the burden, and the guest's own reference to a sales tax rate was disputed in the video, with no figures shown.
• Forecasts of civil unrest are speculation. They are the creator's and guest's opinion and are not supported by data in the video.

The video is best read as a strong opinion about a real grievance, not as a reliable account of how property tax systems operate.

What this means for you

If you own a home

• Read your notice of appraised value each year and compare it with recent nearby sales. Appeal deadlines are often short, typically a matter of weeks.
• Confirm your exemptions. Homestead, senior, disability and veteran benefits may require a one-time or periodic filing.
• Check for caps or freezes in your state and whether your property qualifies.
• Attend budget and rate hearings. Rates are set there, not at the appraisal office.
• Plan for escrow changes. A higher bill raises your monthly payment even with a fixed-rate mortgage.

If you are buying

• Do not rely on the seller's current tax bill. After a sale, some places reassess to market value, which can raise the bill sharply.
• Ask your agent or lender for an estimate based on the likely assessed value and local rates.
• Include taxes in your affordability math. A lower price in a high-tax area can cost more monthly than a higher price in a low-tax one.

If you are selling

• Expect buyers to ask about taxes. Know your rate and exemptions.
• Be aware that a high tax load can shrink your buyer pool, particularly in areas where many sales go to first-time buyers.

None of this is personal financial or legal advice. A local tax professional or attorney can address your situation.

What to watch next

Several developments will show whether pressure on property taxes translates into policy.

• Ballot measures and legislative sessions that raise exemptions, tighten caps or change how rates are set.
• Local budget cycles, especially school districts facing enrollment shifts.
• Tax delinquency and foreclosure data. Rising delinquencies would signal strain among owners; see our report on foreclosures rising in 2026 for related trends.
• Home price and listing trends, which determine whether assessments flatten or fall.

If you want to verify any of the video's assertions, start with primary sources: your county appraisal office, your state comptroller or department of revenue, and the court dockets for any case cited. Those records will tell you more than any commentary about where your bill is headed and why.