Taxation is ruination: A warning for Montana
View of the Parkline Trail from the Parkline Towers apartment complex in Kalispell on Thursday, Aug. 7. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
Taxation is supposed to be about revenue — not ruination. The overhaul of Montana’s tax system by the 69th Legislature threatens the foundation of our communities and could force Montanans to abandon their properties to the ultra-rich. Though advertised as relief, these reforms create an unstable, unpredictable landscape: property taxes drop for select homeowners, but increase sharply for small businesses, landlords and anyone excluded from narrow eligibility brackets.
Through tax policy, the state government isn’t merely raising revenue to fund its obligations; it is picking winners and losers. I have constituents, now retired and past their best earning years, who have spent their lives in Montana and are now unexpectedly facing taxes so steep (78%, 90% and 100% increases) they must consider abandoning their Montana dream to sell to those for whom the increase is pocket change. All of this is attributable to the greedy hand of government.
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