MTGOP Continues to Avoid Addressing Gianforte’s Property Tax Debacle

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 8, 2024

CONTACT
gaby@montanademocrats.org

Why won’t legislative Republicans tackle the issues hardworking Montanans actually care about?
 

Helena, MT – Members of the Republican supermajority in the Montana Legislature called for three special sessions over the last few days. None of these sessions will address one of the top issues facing Montanans statewide: the state’s record-high property taxes.

Instead, Legislative Republicans are calling for special sessions that will burn through taxpayer dollars so they can continue to attack and undermine the Montana Constitution, inject partisan politics into the state legal system, and try to score political points during election season instead of working to provide needed tax relief to hardworking Montanans and their families.

Gianforte and the Republican supermajority’s inaction has trickle-down effects. The median residential property tax bill rose 21% in 2023. This forced many voters to turn down multiple school funding requests across the state last night, leaving children and educators out to dry.

"Greg Gianforte blew a multibillion-dollar surplus on giveaways to big corporations, jacked up property taxes on Montana homeowners, then let public schools fend for themselves with hat in hand for any leftovers," said former firearms executive and candidate for governor Ryan Busse. "This is part of Gianforte's grand scheme to weaponize property taxes to squeeze local control out of local public schools. Montana's kids—and their educators—are paying the highest price."

“Voters are not telling lawmakers they want partisan judges – they’re not pleading with them to revise our constitution and undermine our system of checks and balances,” said Executive Director of the Montana Democratic Party, Sheila Hogan. “Montanans want Gianforte and the Montana Legislature to get to work and take action on Montana’s property tax debacle.”
 

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