Governor, Advocate Promote Tax Cuts In State

Gov. Greg Gianforte and Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform last week held a press conference at the State Capitol to discuss his proposals to reduce Montana’s income tax rate and to deliver permanent property tax relief for homeowners at their primary residence.

“I’m pleased to be joined today by Grover Norquist who is here at the invitation of some legislators to discuss the importance of delivering meaningful, permanent tax relief for Montanans,” Gianforte said. “With advocates like Grover and with our partners in the legislature who understand the importance of permanent tax relief, I have no doubt we can deliver historic tax cuts for Montanans once again.”

Beginning the press conference, the governor introduced Norquist as the president of Americans for Tax Reform, a leading, national taxpayer advocacy group committed to limiting the size, scope, and cost of government with a belief in a system in which taxes are simpler, flatter, more visible, and lower in states than they are today.

In his Path to Security and Prosperity, his budget for the next biennium, Gianforte proposed the largest tax cut in state history.

Included are proposals to permanently reduce the income tax rate most Montanans pay and expand the earned income tax credit to incentivize work and help lower- and middle-income Montana workers.

Since 2021, the governor and the legislature have simplified Montana’s income tax code from seven to two brackets and lowered the income tax rate most Montanans pay from 6.9 percent to 5.9 percent.

The governor’s Path to Security and Prosperity also adopts a recommendation from his diverse, bipartisan Property Tax Task Force to permanently reduce property taxes for Montana homeowners for their primary residence and for Montana small businesses through the homestead rate cut, which is is estimated to lower property taxes for Montana homeowners by 15 percent and for small businesses by 18 percent.