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Lawmakers hear paired proposals to limit a future sales tax to buying down education property taxes
Summary
The House Taxation Committee heard HB 841 (a constitutional restriction) and HB 842 (a statutory referendum) from Rep. Brad Barker proposing that any future general statewide sales tax be used only to reduce property-tax mills for public schools and the Montana University System; supporters argued it protects taxpayers and equalizes school funding while opponents warned it would make any sales tax regressive and tie legislators' hands.
Representative Brad Barker opened HB 841 on behalf of his proposal to add a constitutional restriction that would require any future general statewide sales tax revenue to be used only to buy down the property-tax mills dedicated to K–12 education and the Montana University System. "8 41 is not a sales tax," Barker told the committee, adding that the bill would "add further protection on any use of sales tax" and that a 4% general sales tax could generate about $1.3 billion in 2025 and ‘‘could potentially reduce the property tax burden that is dedicated to education by over 78%." Barker also handed out a technical amendment inserting the words "general statewide" to clarify which sales taxes the…
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