Companies say they’re being denied Texas tax breaks as a state agency is overwhelmed with applications

Glenn Hegar speaks at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23, 2022. Hegar said his office has seen an “extraordinary number of applications from companies seeking to secure an incentive” under the Chapter 313 corporate property tax savings program before it expires. (Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune)

Days before the expiration of a state program that provides billions of dollars in property tax breaks to businesses moving to Texas, two companies have gone to court arguing they’re being frozen out from the last-minute savings due to an overwhelmed state agency.

The two renewable energy companies say the Texas comptroller’s office, which reviews the applications to the corporate relocation or expansion incentive program, has denied their requests for more than $20 million in tax savings because the agency can’t handle the number of entities seeking approval for tax incentives before the Dec. 31 deadline.