Republicans vote down long- term property tax relief bill

Eric Dietrich

Montana Free Press

House Republicans voted down a Democrat-backed bill Wednesday that would have used income tax credits to ease the squeeze placed on lower-income homeowners and renters by rising property taxes.

House Bill 280, sponsored by Rep. Jonathan Karlen, D-Missoula, aimed to offer a state income tax credit to homeowners making up to $130,000 a year to reimburse them for a portion of their property tax bill. It would also have let renters claim a credit for a portion of their rental bill assumed to be attributed to property tax.

“It is a tax cut that provides meaningful l...