Texas closed a tax loophole. Last-minute deals cost taxpayers $175M

By Eric Dexheimer and Amelia Winger | Updated June 11, 2025 12:09 p.m.

Looking for a $1 million tax break? For a fee, these tiny Texas agencies are willing to help

Secret tax cuts for landlords strip $600M from Harris County tax rolls in a ‘get-rich-quick scheme’

Texas landlords scramble for property tax breaks worth millions as loophole closes: ‘Crazy gold rush’

Credits

Reporting by Eric Dexheimer. Editing by Yaffa Fredrick, Robert Eckhart, Alexandra Kanik and Caroline Ghisolfi. Design and development by Amelia Winger, Janie Haseman / Hearst DevHub and Emma Stiefel / San Francisco Chronicle. Visuals by Melissa Phillip, Jon Shapley and Kirk Sides.

Originally published on June 9, 2025

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Credits