End the property tax blame game

The Montana Supreme Court recently ruled unanimously in favor of the state in a complicated dispute about statewide property taxes. The Court ruled that state law requires counties to collect the full 95 mills for the state school equalization tax levy this year, an interpretation that was hotly contested by local governments.

 While the extremely complex legal debate about the statewide 95 mills sure has gotten a lot of attention in the media, the debate centers around only a relatively small portion of your tax bill. The lion’s share of residential property taxes is undeniably driven by your local government and your local school. This was a point made by Governor Gianforte in his reaction to the Supreme Court’s ruling:

“I remain committed to enacting further long-term reforms that keep property taxes as low as possible, including holding the line on local spending that drives property tax increases.”