Azzopardi will work to create more equitable tax system
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Editor,
Many Montanans will receive a property tax rebate of up to $675 after the sticker shock of this year’s increase in property taxes. This is a one-time
solution to an ongoing problem in Montana - inequitable tax rates. As a result, an increasing percentage of the state’s revenue comes from residential rather than commercial property taxes. The timing of the tax rebate is suspicious; for many, the property tax rebate will appear just before the November election.
The Republican led legislature could have done something about this inequity, yet did nothing, preferring to buy us off with a $675 rebate rather than heeding the Department of Revenue’s recommendation to reduce the residential taxable value rate from 1.35% to 0.94%.
Such is the problem with legislative supermajorities who fail to address the concerns of the minority: they don’t have to.
Shirley Azzopardi, running for HD13, does care about the concerns of everyday Montanans, such as reproductive health care, public education, Montanans’ constitutional right to privacy, access to mental health care, and yes, - property taxes. Shirley will work with Republicans and Democrats alike to create a more equitable tax system that doesn’t place an undue burden on residential property owners.
Caryl Cox
Polson
