Say no to the Hertz/Regier tax increase plan | Josh Kassmier

Montanans are paying too much in taxes, and sadly Greg Hertz and the Regier family are doing everything possible to increase them. It started with editorials. In a KJJR editorial, Matt Regier said he was “angry” the Legislature passed property tax reform. Then Rep. Amy Regier, in another editorial, went so far as to suggest that cutting the property tax rate on your primary residence was inequitable.

Last week, Keith Regier filed a lawsuit, along with Tom McGilvray and Greg Hertz, to invalidate Senate Bill 542, the primary property tax relief bill. Now, Matt Regier is holding a fundraiser to help fund the lawsuit. No matter what they say, one thing is clear: Greg Hertz and the Regier family want to raise your taxes and will do everything possible to increase them.

If the Hertz/Regier lawsuit succeeds, the consequences could be devastating for Montana homeowners. The lawsuit specifically targets the $400 property tax rebate that Montanans received earlier this year. That rebate was a critical part of the tax relief package. Montanans applied for the rebate in good faith. If the Regier lawsuit prevails, homeowners may be forced to repay that $400 to the government.

Imagine that. You followed the rules. You applied honestly. You received the relief the state said you were entitled to. Now, Greg Hertz and the Regiers want you to pay a $400 residency tax just because you are a Montanan.

But Hertz and the Regiers want to do more. They want to increase your property tax rates too. Next year, SB 542 will dramatically lower property taxes for Montana primary residences. If Hertz and the Regiers get their way, you will pay higher property taxes and a possible $400 bill — at a time when Montanans are already stretched thin.

What is sad is that Hertz and the Regiers are doing so much to harm the people they represent. The real beneficiaries of SB 542 will be people who live in places like Flathead County and Lake County. Under SB 542, the top rate (property over $1.5 million) will drop from 2.2% to 1.9%, which means people who own lakeshore property will see significant reductions in property tax levels.

At the same time homeowners are being targeted, the Frontier Institute is actively pushing a 6.81% statewide sales tax — a tax that would hit Montana families the hardest. One of the individuals who helped direct funding to the Frontier Institute also contributed $60,000 to Matt Regier’s leadership committee. Now that money is being used to help elect others who support his high-tax vision — people like Zach Wirth and Jane Gillette.

Montanans are taxed enough. We don’t need higher property taxes or a sales tax, and we especially don’t need the Hertz/Regier $400 residency tax.

Montana families shouldn’t pay the price for a political crusade against tax relief. The choice is simple: protect taxpayers or side with those who want to raise your taxes. It’s time to say no to the Hertz/Regier tax increase plan.