“The bottom line – more relief is certainly needed. Voting to reject levies will temporarily prevent the bill from increasing even further, but for more true and lasting relief, we need to start looking at the root cause of taxation – government spending.”
The following has been adapted from an excerpt of the Frontier Weekly Newsletter written by Cole Koenig for the May 7th edition.
It’s that time of year again. We look in our mailboxes, and we see a ballot for local school levies. With the most recent round of levy proposals having been voted on this Tuesday, the results are revealing a point that we ought not be surprised at – Montanans don’t want higher property taxes.
The major districts in Montana that held levy requests did see some pass, as in Bozeman, Butte, and Missoula, but the majority of funding proposals were rejected by voters. Helena and East Helena saw all levies go down, Billings and Laurel district voters rejected each measure, and all levies in the Flathead Valley did not pass, along with Ravalli county and Lincoln county. The disapproval of these levy proposals has become a recent trend since 2021, as reported by the Montana Free Press.
This trend signals a feeling among Montana property owners that taxes are too high, and they are not too keen on the idea of increasing taxes even more. Tax day was only a few short weeks ago, and May 31st is a fast approaching due date for property tax payments, so sending money to the government is fresh on the mind of voters. They want relief, and they want it to stay.
Wanting tax relief isn’t just a Montana sentiment either. Kendall was recently featured in a piece from the Epoch Times about how numerous states are being compelled by voters to cut taxes, including Ohio, Minnesota, and Nebraska, amongst others.
Referencing the recent ballot initiative proposal from Senator Galt on capping property tax increases at 2%, Kendall noted that while it is a good start, “more relief is needed, as home appraisals in growing communities increased by 60 percent this year, resulting in property tax hikes.” The initiative’s cap also does not include school funding levies, which make up over 50% of property taxes.
The bottom line – more relief is certainly needed. Voting to reject levies will temporarily prevent the bill from increasing even further, but for more true and lasting relief, we need to start looking at the root cause of taxation – government spending. The government will consistently find new ways to get money from taxpayers, so the only lasting reform to reduce taxes is to limit their spending.
