Time to protest taxes is now
Every citizen has the right to protest their taxes. Time is running out. The 30 days will be up this week. If you file for an informal review the 30 days will be extended.
If you are online, go to www.mt.gov/revenue. There, you can find the calculator determine your property taxes for the next six years. Also, you can click on Property Tax Appeals and find out how to file an informal review.
If you are not online, you can call or go to the local Department of Revenue office. In Polson, the number is 883-7227 and in Kalispell it’s 758-5700. They have been swamped as you can imagine.
Also, if you sign a confidentiality agreement you can get a list of the comparables that were used to determine your specific property value. Realtor Scott Hollinger, Bigfork Re/Max, has a helpful list of comparables on his website.
Scott Williams, the regional manager for our area, is located in the Kalispell office and they try to resolve appeals in the informal process.
If you do not agree with the informal findings, you can then appeal formally to the local county board and if that doesn’t work, to the state appeal board.
In the last reappraisal cycle in 2002, 8,500 property values were appealed in the informal method. Only a few hundred went on to the formal process.
We are still not getting much help from the rest of the state. Many legislators are worried about commercial values. In Butte/Silver Bow, values have decreased and they are concerned with dropping local revenues. Next week the Department of Revenue will be sending out 40,000 applications for extended property tax assistance.
If your values have increased by 25 percent (most of ours have) and the dollar increase is more than $250, you will receive the form. Property owners who have income less than $75,000 a year are eligible.
As you know, most property tax money is locally used. Only 101 mills go to the state. Statewide, we voted to continue the six mills for the university and 95 mills are used for K-12 school equalization funds.
I would like to see all property tax money used locally and will work to remove the 95 mills.
Our tax system is complicated and often unfair. Montanans still say no to a sales tax. The 45 states that have a sales tax are trying to get the federal government to allow them to collect each other’s sales tax. If this happens, we may be forced to collect taxes for other states.
I just returned from my interim committee. The most important thing I have to report is that David Ewer, the Director of the Governor’s Office of Budget and Program Planning, told us that in order to fund state government at the current level revenues will have to increase.
Well, how do we do that in the current economic times? And worse yet, the only job segment that is growing is government.
Still, the best part of our state constitution is the requirement that we balance the budget. The worst part of our constitution is the way we tax property. It will take a vote of the people, but I think it’s time.
Continue to contact me at 849-6090, write P.O. Box 233, Dayton MT 59914 or e-mail jannataylor@montana.com.