Governor Gianforte, Americans for Prosperity Rally for Conservative Tax Cuts

Speaking in support of Senate Bill 323, sponsored by Sen. Josh Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, the governor highlighted his historic tax cut proposal that will cut income taxes for Montanans at every income level.

 

The governor’s budget proposal includes the largest income tax cut in state history, reducing the income tax rate most Montanans pay from 5.9% to 4.9%. Senate Bill 323 provides Montanans with $850 million in permanent income tax relief, the largest in state history. Montana currently has the highest income tax rate in the Rocky Mountain West.

 

“Montanans want more of their income so they can invest in themselves,” Sen. Kassmier said. “Anytime you can give the people’s money back, if they can invest in themselves, that is way better than the government having their money.”

 

Speaking at the rally, AFP-Montana State Director Jesse Ramos said cutting income taxes is fundamentally about freedom.

 

“I truly believe this is not about lower taxes,” AFP-Montana Director Jesse Ramos said. “This is about freedom. This is about the most basic freedom of all the freedoms in America, which is to keep more of what you earn, the money that you earn through blood, sweat, tears. We want the average Montanan to keep more of what they earn because we have the trust and confidence that they, not the government, not the bureaucrats know what is best for how to spend their money.”

 

At the rally, Montanans from across the state spoke in support of Senate Bill 323.

 

“As a fellow Montanan feeling the economic strain from the current rising cost of living in our gorgeous state, the bill would provide some relief,” Bianca Lester of Butte said. “I’m a single mom of four, which is no easy feat, and I need every penny that I make to help house and clothe and feed my kids. This bill would allow for so many other families like mine to keep all of our hard-earned income.”

 

In November, the governor unveiled his Path to Security and Prosperity, the budget for the State of Montana for the next biennium. In it, the governor proposed lowering the income tax rate for hardworking Montanans at every income level.

In January, Gov. Gianforte joined Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform to advocate for a flat tax. Since 2021, the governor and the legislature have simplified Montana’s income tax code from seven to two brackets and lowered the income tax rate most Montanans pay from 6.9% to 5.9%.

Earlier this week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis praised legislators and the governor at the Montana State Capitol for past income tax reductions and encouraged passage of the governor’s conservative tax cut proposals, as well as the work of President Trump to eliminate unnecessary federal spending and to identify waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government.

Highlighting conservative tax cuts championed by President Trump in his first term in office, the governor said, “Our proposal to cut taxes is not unlike the historic tax cuts President Trump delivered in his first term in office. In 2017, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the biggest tax overhaul since 1986. I was proud to support it and vote for it when I was in Congress. Taxpayers at every income level received a tax cut.”

Urging Congress to act on the cuts set to expire this year, the governor indicated that Americans would face a $4.5 trillion tax hike.

“Americans for Prosperity supports Senate Bill 323 because it is the best tax reform policy that has hit this legislative session,” AFP-Montana Legislative Director Henry Kreigel said. “That's why we stand behind that bill. We stand behind the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act because it unleashed prosperity in America going back to 2017. We need to make that permanent, otherwise tax rates increase.”

Senate Bill 323 was heard in the Senate Taxation Committee earlier today with proponents indicating the importance of cutting income tax rates for Montanans at every income level in order to support hardworking families struggling to make ends meet.

 

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