Senate committee hears bill to fund property‑tax credits by redirecting lodging and rental taxes; tourism and business groups urge no

Sen. Carl Glimm (R‑Flathead) told the Senate Local Government Committee that Senate Bill 90 is "an attempt to bring some property tax relief to the citizens of Montana" by redirecting portions of the lodging sales tax, lodging facility use tax and rental vehicle tax into a state special revenue account that would pay a credit to primary residence owners. Glimm cited fiscal‑note estimates that "each primary residence would receive a tax credit of $436.97," and said the approach would reallocate about $90 million in tourism‑related tax receipts.

Mandy Rambo, deputy director at the Montana Department of Commerce, testified in opposition and said the bill "is not the answer," warning of significant programmatic and economic consequences if lodging‑tax funding for tourism marketing, grants and heritage programs were diverted. Rambo told senators the department tracks numerous programs supported by lodging taxes — grants for rural and under‑visited communities, agritourism grants, Main Street Montana, Made in Montana marketing, the Montana Heritage Commission, the Institute for Tourism and…