House lawmakers exploring ways to cut Mississippi property taxes, car tag fees

House lawmakers exploring ways to cut.

Key points

• Yesterday, the House Select Committee on Property Tax met for the second time, hearing from the Mississippi Department of Revenue and County Tax Collectors.
• Reducing the burden of property taxes for Mississippians is a top agenda item for the House Select Committee on Property Tax.
• He remarked states such as Tennessee have a flat rate for car tags, typically in the range of $100 to $150 per tag.
• Attorney General offers proposed uses for $188.9 million in Meta settlement funding.
• Stocks obtained a boost after the rate for a barrel of Brent crude oil slid 1% to settle back below $105.

House lawmakers exploring ways to cut Mississippi property taxes, car tag fees. By: Jeremy Pittari – September 18, 2026. State Rep. Trey Lamar (Photo from Speaker Jason White on Facebook).

Such a move could mean cuts to local governments or finding replacement revenue for the $1.2 billion collected by cities, counties and school districts annually throughout the Magnolia State.

This week, the committee met with tax collectors throughout the state as well as the Department of Revenue to gather input on methods that could be employed to reduce the burden on Mississippi's primary home and vehicle owners.

"Yesterday, the House Select Committee on Property Tax met for the second time, hearing from the Mississippi Department of Revenue and County Tax Collectors. House members are working to lessen the burden of real property taxes for Mississippians, " Speaker of the House of Representatives Jason White posted via social media on Thursday. "How can we further reduce the burden on the individuals who own a home, raise a family, operate a small business, or simply want to retire with dignity in the state they love? The House is pursuing policies that put Mississippi taxpayers and property owners first."

Throughout the state, counties, cities and school districts collect a total of $1.2 billion in homestead property taxes, committee co-chair State Rep. Trey Lamar (R) informed Magnolia Tribune.

"We got to figure out whether there's a more fair way to replace that local revenue with something else, " Lamar explained. "It's not that hard, either we're going to have the backing to cut local administration or we're going to have the backing to find replacement revenue to replace what's cut. I think there's a more fair way to tax than taxing people's homes and I think there's a better way to do car tags that's more fair."

Lamar is unsure if the Legislature will be willing to create those tough decisions, particularly where it impacts local governments. That is why the committee is looking at other areas of fees and taxes that could be rose to offset cuts to the two target areas of homestead and car tag fees.

"We're either going to have to cut local government or we're going to have to find replacement revenue, " Lamar remarked. "If you cut local government, other areas of property tax are going to go up, or you got to cut services."

"That would be up to the local government as far as what to cut, " Lamar clarified.

Just like the Legislature has been working to eliminate income tax and put more focus on sales taxes, Lamar remarked he has produced it clear he wants to move toward a user fee tax system that is fairer for all.

"We're looking at the way some states do car tags, " Lamar continued. "The fact that somebody can go buy a car in one county and pay $2, 000 for a tag and the same car tag in another county is $300, quite frankly that's ridiculous."

One of the committee's other goals is to provide Mississippians with more information on the local tax system. Lamar believes the current regulations on property tax notices are insufficient, especially since the general public is largely unaware of how property taxes work.

"We need to make sure that local property owners have more notice of how their property taxes are calculated, " Lamar remarked.

Meanwhile, the information gained through these meetings will guide lawmakers in drafting legislation that could be considered when they reconvene in January. Regarding the Author(s).

Jeremy Pittari is a lifelong resident of the Gulf Coast. Born and raised in Slidell, La., he moved to South Mississippi in the early 90s. Jeremy earned an associate in arts from Pearl River Community College and went on to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned a bachelor's of arts in journalism. A week after Hurricane Katrina, he began an internship as a reporter with the community newspaper in Pearl River County. After graduation, he accepted a full-time position at that news outlet where he covered the recovery process post Katrina in Pearl River and Hancock Counties. For almost 17 years he wrote concerning local administration, education, law enforcement, crime, business and a variety of other topics. Email Jeremy: [email protected].

News Magnolia Tribune September 18, 2026. Magnolia Mornings: September 18, 2026.

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For now, house lawmakers exploring ways to cut Mississippi property taxes, car tag fees remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.