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House committee rejects bill to impose 2% tax on electricity production; sponsors say measure protects Montana legacy funds
Summary
A proposal to create a 2% tax on most electricity production while exempting coal failed on a 50-50 vote in a House committee, after hours of debate over impacts on ratepayers, legacy severance funding and renewable energy development.
A proposal to create a new 2% tax on electricity production in Montana while leaving coal production exempt failed in a House committee on a 50-50 tie vote.
Rep. Brad Perry, the bill sponsor, told the committee the tax was intended to preserve “legacy dollars” that currently flow from the coal severance tax to universities, libraries, conservation districts and local governments. “When coal goes away, we lose 15%,” Perry said. “I'm asking to replace that with 2% ... to create dollars for our people in the future.”
Supporters framed the measure as a way to capture some value from wind…
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