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2005 Regular Session
It was an interesting session – but the interim promises even more - your membership is more important than ever!
Typically at the end of each session, the Montana Taxpayer newsletter summarizes activities of the session, bills affecting our members and bills we were able to support on your behalf or defeat that did not promote sound tax policy. This year, it appears the session has not yet ended for the taxpayers of Montana. The potential upcoming special session in December on school funding, the appeal by Senator Elliott on the confidentiality of corporate tax records, continued discussion on classification of oil an natural gas property, the high probability of the department of revenue to identify and penalize perceived “tax cheaters” through new legislation and audit activities or by rule making authority have made our involvement on a daily basis more important than ever.
Since the end of the session on April 20th, we have begun monitoring these unresolved issues and will work on them for the taxpayers of Montana throughout the interim. Although the taxpayers of Montana remained fairly unscathed this session, we expect to see many of the bills we were able to defeat resurface either during the special session that is tentatively scheduled to take place this December, during the interim as study groups, and then again in the 2007 session.
Many of the bills and testimony from the legislators carrying these bills had to do with the unfounded fact that businesses and high income earners are not paying their fair share. That many of these businesses were utilizing complicated tax evasion strategies to avoid taxes. We will continue to work with the department and the legislative committees to determine the extent of this activity while remaining committed to communicate that these cases are not the norm and that most Montana taxpayers are compliant and care about paying their fair share. We will also continue to rely on your testimony and input to help us in this communication.
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