Few issues are more urgent in Jefferson County and across Montana than property taxes, yet Senator Becky Beard had harsh words for the bills her colleagues passed to provide some relief during the recently concluded 69th legislative session.
“Basically, it’s tax the rich,” she said in an interview at The Monitor offices, referring to House Bill 231 and Senate Bill 542, both of which she rejected, along with more than 20 other senators. Together, they increase tax rates on second homes and short-term rentals, and potentially on businesses and agricultural properties, while reducing taxes on most primary residences and offering rebates to Montanans with modest homes.
Beard thought the bills might be unconstitutional in Montana, given what she considers an inequitable distribution of the tax burden. With higher tax rates on pricier homes — up to 2.2 percent for homes valued at greater than $2 million — she felt the bills punished Montanans who had worked hard and made a good living while leaning too hard on businesses.
