2024: Aaron Flint Defended The Governor And Legislature Against Criticism For Raising Taxes Even As Montana Homeowners Saw Property Taxes Increase By Hundreds Of Dollars
2024: Flint Defended The Governor And Legislature Against Criticism For Raising Taxes And Said The Media Made Up A “Fake News Narrative” About Rising Property Taxes
April 2024: Flint Said The Governor And Legislature Did Not Raise Taxes
April 2024: Flint: “Did The Legislature Raise Your Taxes? No. Did The Governor Raise Your Taxes? No.” “Did the Legislature raise your taxes? No. Did the governor raise your taxes? No. Governor Greg Gianforte (R-MT) and the Republican Legislature delivered over a billion dollars in tax relief, including property tax rebates and income tax rebates. The Democrats, almost unanimously, opposed it all. But now the Democrats pretend to care about rising property taxes, and the media is constructing a fake news narrative to back them up. I scratched together a few quick thoughts earlier this morning.” [Montana Talks, Aaron Flint Column, 4/2/24]
- Flint Said The Governor Delivered Property Tax Rebates. “What the liberal media is NOT telling you about Montana property taxes: […] 5. The Gov delivered prop tax rebates and income tax rebates and relief. $675 is a BIG DEAL for most Montanans...but not for wealthy, white, liberal elites like Ryan Busse and Raph Graybill.” [Montana Talks, Aaron Flint Column, 4/2/24]
April 2024: Flint Said The Media Made Up A “Fake News Narrative” To Back Up Concern About Rising Property Taxes
April 2024: Flint Said The Media Was “Constructing A Fake News Narrative” To Back Up Democrats’ Concern About Rising Property Taxes. “Did the Legislature raise your taxes? No. Did the governor raise your taxes? No. Governor Greg Gianforte (R-MT) and the Republican Legislature delivered over a billion dollars in tax relief, including property tax rebates and income tax rebates. The Democrats, almost unanimously, opposed it all. But now the Democrats pretend to care about rising property taxes, and the media is constructing a fake news narrative to back them up. I scratched together a few quick thoughts earlier this morning.” [Montana Talks, Aaron Flint Column, 4/2/24]
Flint Said The “Liberal Media” Did Not Want People To Question The System And “The Flaw In Basing Property Taxes Off Of Property Values.” “What the liberal media is NOT telling you about Montana property taxes: 1. They don't want you to question the system: the flaw in basing property taxes off of property values.” [Montana Talks, Aaron Flint Column, 4/2/24]
2023: Despite A Warning From The Montana Department Of Revenue, The Gianforte Administration And The Legislature Did Not Equalize Rates Between Homeowners And Businesses To Make Property Taxes Fairer
2023: The Montana Department Of Revenue Warned That Not Adjusting Property Taxes Could Cause Sticker Shock For Montana Homeowners. “The Republican-controlled Legislature was also the target of criticism for not adjusting residential property taxes during the 2023 session when the Montana Department of Revenue warned that not doing so could — and in fact, did — cause sticker shock for Montana homeowners. Meanwhile, Gianforte, a Republican, took aim at local and county governments throughout the state, many controlled by the GOP, for what he described as out-of-control spending, a debatable point that put many in the governor’s own political party at odds with the administration.” [Daily Montanan, 10/22/24]
The Gianforte Administration And Its Department Of Revenue Did Not Equalize Rates To Make Property Taxes More Equitable. “Residents from Silver Bow and Gallatin counties are asking a state district court judge to force the Montana Department of Revenue to recalculate residential property taxes in the Treasure State because they claim that the Gianforte administration has violated the law and the state Constitution by allowing taxes for homeowners to skyrocket while most business classes saw a reduction. […] The issue of residential property taxes may not have been the defining issue of the 2023 Legislature, but it soon became a contentious issue after the session adjourned as residential property tax bills started becoming due. […] The new lawsuit claims that regardless of the politics, the Gianforte administration and its Department of Revenue had an obligation to do what the Legislature did not: It should have equalized the rates to make property taxes more equitable.” [Daily Montanan, 10/22/24]
Gianforte Blamed Local And County Governments For What He Called Out-Of-Control Spending. “The Republican-controlled Legislature was also the target of criticism for not adjusting residential property taxes during the 2023 session when the Montana Department of Revenue warned that not doing so could — and in fact, did — cause sticker shock for Montana homeowners. Meanwhile, Gianforte, a Republican, took aim at local and county governments throughout the state, many controlled by the GOP, for what he described as out-of-control spending, a debatable point that put many in the governor’s own political party at odds with the administration.” [Daily Montanan, 10/22/24]
2023: Most Montana Homeowners Had To Pay Hundreds Of Dollars More In Property Taxes With The Median Increase Being 21%
December 2023: The Typical Montana Residential Property Owner Had To Pay Up To $660 More A Year. “The median Montana residential property owner will pay about 21% more on their taxes this year than they did last year, with typical increases ranging between 11% and 35%, according to a Montana Free Press analysis of revenue department data for the 956,000 properties on the state’s property tax rolls in both 2022 and 2023. That translates into residential tax bills that will be $98 to $660 a year more.” [Montana Free Press, 12/7/23]
December 2023: The Median Montana Residential Property Owner Had To Pay 21% More On Their Taxes Compared To The Previous Year. “The median Montana residential property owner will pay about 21% more on their taxes this year than they did last year, with typical increases ranging between 11% and 35%, according to a Montana Free Press analysis of revenue department data for the 956,000 properties on the state’s property tax rolls in both 2022 and 2023. That translates into residential tax bills that will be $98 to $660 a year more.” [Montana Free Press, 12/7/23]
- Montana Free Press Headline: “Montana Homeowners See Higher Property Taxes As Some Big Businesses Pay Less.” [Montana Free Press, 12/7/23]
Daily Montanan Brian Schweitzer Op-Ed Headline: “The Governor And The Legislature Raised Your Home’s Taxes At The Fastest Rate In History.” [Daily Montanan, Brian Schweitzer Op-Ed, 9/7/24]
2024: Montanans Sued The State, Alleging The Gianforte Administration Violated The Law And State Constitution By Allowing Homeowners’ Taxes To Increase While Most Business Classes Saw Reduced Taxes
2024: Montana Residents Sued The Montana Department Of Revenue To Recalculate Residential Property Taxes. “Residents from Silver Bow and Gallatin counties are asking a state district court judge to force the Montana Department of Revenue to recalculate residential property taxes in the Treasure State because they claim that the Gianforte administration has violated the law and the state Constitution by allowing taxes for homeowners to skyrocket while most business classes saw a reduction. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Butte-Silver Bow County District Court, attorneys for Thomas Powers, Cinder Lord-Powers and Ryan and Elizabeth Swenson are also seeking a class-action certification on the lawsuit, as well as asking the district court judge to halt anymore residential property tax collection until they say the rates can be equalized.” [Daily Montanan, 10/22/24]
- Daily Montanan Headline: “Residents Sue Gianforte Administration For Not Equalizing Residential Property Taxes.” [Daily Montanan, 10/22/24]
The Lawsuit Alleged That The Gianforte Administration Violated The Law And State Constitution By Allowing Taxes For Homeowners To Skyrocket While Most Business Classes Saw A Reduction. “Residents from Silver Bow and Gallatin counties are asking a state district court judge to force the Montana Department of Revenue to recalculate residential property taxes in the Treasure State because they claim that the Gianforte administration has violated the law and the state Constitution by allowing taxes for homeowners to skyrocket while most business classes saw a reduction. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Butte-Silver Bow County District Court, attorneys for Thomas Powers, Cinder Lord-Powers and Ryan and Elizabeth Swenson are also seeking a class-action certification on the lawsuit, as well as asking the district court judge to halt anymore residential property tax collection until they say the rates can be equalized.” [Daily Montanan, 10/22/24]
Homeowners’ Lawsuit: “Montana’s Core Property Tax Equalization Requires That The Department ‘Shall Adjust And Equalize The Valuation.’” “The attorneys said that ultimately it is the Department of Revenue’s job and the Gianforte administration’s responsibility to do what the Legislature would not in order to comply with state law and the state constitution. They point to the specific portion of state law which said that current law requires the Department of Revenue to make the adjustments. ‘Montana’s core property tax equalization,’ the lawsuit said, ‘requires that the department ‘shall adjust and equalize the valuation,’ and ‘do all things necessary to secure a fair, just, and equitable valuation of all taxable property.’’” [Daily Montanan, 10/22/24]
Residential Taxes Increased From Making Up 51% Of The State’s Budget In 2023 To Making Up 59% In 2024. “The lawsuit includes tables and references to the differences of taxation for some of the state’s largest taxpayers. For example, of the nine business classes that make up property taxes, six saw decreases as a percentage of the state budget, with business equipment seeing a slight increase (from 4.03% to 4.30%); and commercial property seeing a slight increase from 13.1% to 13.4%. However, the percentage of residential taxes leapt from making up 51% percent of the state’s budget in 2023 to making up 59%. Using the state’s data, that means the revenue from residential property jumped from $1.8 billion to more than $2.7 billion, generating nearly an additional $900 million for the state.” [Daily Montanan, 10/22/24]