taxes

Jon Ellingson writes, "A tax cut that supports the spending habits of our wealthiest and creates a larger servant class is not the kind of progress we need."

With the Legislature in session, the City of Missoula will continue its call for tax reform in an effort to reduce the state's reliance on property taxes by spreading it to other sources, including Montana's growing tourism industry.

Rep. Jonathon Karlen writes, "Republicans ignored fiscally responsible Democratic tax cut proposals and pushed through a billion-dollar tax package that does nothing to provide any permanent solutions to the affordability crisis facing the state."

Despite some public opposition, Missoula County on Thursday voted in lockstep to create a Housing Innovation Fund and invest $750,000 into the program.

The bill would allow owners of gambling machines to report “negative income” and deduct it from their total earnings so they don’t pay the state’s 15% gambling tax when their machines pay out more in winnings than they earn.

As economic activity grows in several development districts created by Missoula County in recent years, it's now streamlining the authority board that oversees them.

Tesla’s expansion of its Nevada factory appears poised to trigger an entirely new package of tax abatements worth hundreds of millions of dollars, all of it authorized by the original sweetheart deal Legislators approved in 2014.

Gov. Greg Gianforte told the Montana Legislature in his second State of the State speech that he expects lawmakers to address issues like child care, tax relief, and affordable housing.

The state of Arizona will have quite a bit of extra cash in its general fund this year — but that excess will quickly dwindle in the next few years with current spending, budget analysts said Thursday.

Jonathan Karlen, D-Missoula, said that while property owners deserve the rebate, renters shouldn't be overlooked in the equation, as they too have faced an increase in housing costs.