There is widespread confusion about who is responsible for passage of the two horrific property tax bills (SB 542 and HB 231) that caused the current property tax shift and, in some cases, increased taxes on primary residences and multi-family residences, when Montanans asked for, and were promised, real property tax relief. Based on my legislative experience, and my assessment of these pieces of legislation, I can provide a definitive conclusion.
The Montana House and Senate have “nominal” Republican majorities. In the House, there are 58 “Rs”, but only about 35 abide by the principles of the Montana Republican Party. In the Senate there are 32, with 23 being true Republicans. The Democrats, along with defectors from the Republican Party, are the true legislative majority. By looking at the House and Senate votes on these two bills, you’ll see that virtually all Democrats voted for them, as well as the defecting “Republicans” (led by Llew Jones from Conrad). They are the perpetrators of the property tax increases in Montana.
Finally, Gov. Gianforte signed these bills into law. He could have vetoed them, but he was a supporter of them, along with the other “Republican” defectors.
The label on legislators is often like the label on “knock-off” designer clothing. The tag may say “Armani”, but the real manufacturer is from Bangladesh.
Look at how elected officials vote, not at the “party” label after their name.
Comments
6 responses to “Property Tax Bills Passed by Democrats and ‘Defecting Republicans’”
The real question here has nothing to do with who voted for what or whether this person adhered to the party line or “traitorously defected”, but rather ought to be one of why there is a property tax at all and what can be done to get rid of it.
Property taxes, like every other tax, are immoral to begin with as they require that property owners pay whatever is demanded of them by those who hold the reins of power. Under threat of confiscation, force, and potential violence, owners are told that they have to “cough up or else”, which is nothing more than legal extortion. Exactly what a street gang would do, except that this theft carries the weight of law.
“Thou shalt not steal” is the Word, but we have twisted that around and justified it by rephrasing it to read, “Thou shalt not steal, except by majority vote.” If 50% plus 1 persons think that a law extorting payment because someone owns property, then, b’Government, that is the way it should be and the way it will be, that is, until the taxes become too great to bear, the rightful owner loses out, and someone else ends up with the proceeds.
How to break the cycle? Since the most egregious property taxes are assessed to finance “public education”, then the answer to the dilemma would be to allow parents to opt out of mandatory participation in the system and make their own choices about where and how they will educate their children. Those parents who own property but choose not to support the government schools should not have to bear the burden of paying for them. Change this and the property tax load would be reduced sharply and immediately.
One more thing. If you own (think you own) anything (your property) and it can be taxed away from you, then it is not yours but belongs to the taxing authority. Chew on that for a while.
Between my home and rental we should see a savings of over $4,000. If you and the rest of the official party want to put out messaging criticizing Gianforte and others at the same time most people are seeing reductions for the first time in years, be my guest. However, it makes you look petty to the large majority finally getting a break for the first time in many years.
It appears Montana has achieved the trickle down version of the theatrical clown show ongoing in DC. After years of watching DC politics, of being an observer who, like all of us, gets covered in grit and egg shells while the elites in Washington throw eggs and sand on each other, I’ve come to a conclusion; All the stage theatrics… all the blue vs red, the right vs left, the Republicans vs the Democrats, that is so soundly and robustly repeated in the media and screamed from representatives at every opportunity… is nothing but a part of the play to cover up the fact it’s really the actors vs the audience…
Renters will be tortured in 2026 with this ‘tax shift legislation’. Multi-plex rental property owners will experience significant cost increases on three fronts: property taxes, vendor-maintenance, and property insurance. Most vendors rent or own commercial space to run their operation. Taxes on those properties jumped, too. Higher Revenue Department valuations on replacement costs will drive up insurance premiums. Don’t forget NWE got hit too.
All those increases flow through to the tenants. If you are a renter on a fixed income, your CPI adjustment is only 2.6%. Renters expect a 10-15% increase in 2026.
This is why principled Republicans are so angry. The people of Montana put them in charge, but a Republican Governor, 9 Senators, and 20 plus in the House defected to the Democrats’ camp to pass this tax shift. The Gianforte government grew fatter, and the people it serves will have to go on a diet.
I got two suggestions as a service member that joined 26 years ago. First, Montana’s retirement policies suck compared to other states. When I retire, soon, I will live somewhere else even though I grew up in MT. Don’t tax military retirement income at all. Second, regarding property tax, someone who owns a home can’t really own a home if they can lose it because of property taxes. That doesn’t make sense. Fix that
If we can’t fix that now, which seems so simple, I’ll be heading home soon to address. I think every Montanan can get behind that