Dear Editor: HB 231's Hidden Tax Shift Hurts Montana Agriculture

Dear Editor,

I write to inform Montanans about the real impact of House Bill 231, the property tax bill that recently became law. While marketed as "property tax relief" this legislation creates a massive tax shift that will significantly increase the burden on our agricultural community.

During legislative debate, we attempted to highlight a critical flaw in this bill that supporters ignored: Montana's floating mill system means this isn't tax relief-it's tax redistribution. When residential and small commercial properties receive rate cuts while agricultural land rates remain unchanged, loca...