GOP hopefuls want downsized government

Smaller state government is the mantra of the two Republicans squaring off in the primary for Montana House District 8 seat.

Keith Regier and Craig Witte face each other June 6 to try to get their party's nod to face Democratic candidate Randy Kenyon and Constitution Party candidate Kurtis Oliverson in the November general election.

Kenyon and Oliverson are unopposed in the primary.

The winner in November will replace Rep. Tim Dowell, R-Kalispell.

Dowell is not running because he has reached the four-term limit in the Montana House.

Witte ran against Dowell in 2004, losing by 156 votes.

Witte takes his stance on smaller government literally: "We should start with the size of the Legislature itself."

He said that the Montana Constitution says the state Senate can have from 40 to 50 members and the House can have from 80 to 100 members. Witte proposes that the Legislature shrink to its constitutional minimum of 40 senators and 80 representatives.

Meanwhile, Regier said he believes fewer laws and regulations and less spending should come out of Helena. He wants to look at the state budget before suggesting where to cut it.

However, Regier said he thinks state education money can be allocated more efficiently. He said that each Montana high-school district receives a $230,199 basic entitlement from the state before extra allocations are added according to student populations. He thinks the state should rethink how that money is allocated, or even explore consolidating the tiniest school districts.

Witte's main plank on education finance is to change the law so school districts legally are allowed to accumulate surplus funds at the end of their budget years, and carry that money over for big-budget items.

Right now, Montana has an estimated budget surplus of at least $200 million.

Witte said that money should be used to finance some property-tax rebates or cuts. But he added that a major portion should be saved, especially with $3-a-gallon gas prices likely to cut into state tourism revenues.

Witte also thinks the state income tax should be abolished and replaced with a 4 percent sales tax. He contended that would collect more revenue from tourists while penalizing Montanans less.

Regier thinks the surplus should be used to back up potential tax-relief proposals in property, income, inheritance and personal property taxes. He thinks that will put more money in people's pockets to spend, thus increasing state revenues from a stronger economy.

Montana has had a personal property tax - a tax on business-related equipment - for a long time but has seen that tax shrink in recent years.

Witte wants to abolish that tax, saying it discourages businesses from locating in Montana.

Regier wants to continue shrinking that tax but wants to study the issue before deciding by how much.

Witte said that he lives in House District 8 and contends that legislators should live in the districts that elect them. Montana law allows someone in one district to be elected from another district as long as it is in the same county.

Regier lives in District 6. He said that the often-re-elected Dowell did not live in District 8. Regier said that all Flathead County districts face the same issues and problems, making where he lives a moot point.