Busse Claims Montana Governor Deliberately Raised Property Taxes
Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse appeared on the KGVO Talk Back show on Wednesday and took a large number of calls from listeners.
Busse’s opening statement immediately took Governor Greg Gianforte and the Republican supermajority in the state legislature to task for deliberately choosing to cut taxes on corporations while allowing Montana property owners to bear the burden of increased taxes.
Busse Accused Gianforte of Cutting Corporate Taxes and Raising Property Taxes
“The tax increase is just sort of emblematic of the way they've run the state,” began Busse. “(Governor Greg) Gianforte is suing 49 of 56 counties, all because they raised property taxes on Montanans when they didn't have to. They chose to do it. They gave away a $2.8 billion surplus to big corporations and the wealthy and made sure every Montanan got a tax increase; that’s every Montanan that owns a home, and frankly, every renter got an increase as well because that tax increase is going to go straight to your rent.”
Busse said School Choice will Remove Money from Public Education
Busse said the state legislature’s actions to enable school choice in Montana were a ruse to take state funds away from public schools.
“I think school choice, as far as that statement goes, is a good thing, but using public funds for school choice is dangerous,” he said. “It shouldn't happen. It will it will threaten our public schools. Every other state that has tried this; that has gone down this road to privatization, where you pull money from public schools to hand it to private institutions, the public school system has deteriorated greatly. It's happening in Ohio right now. Ohio is marching down this path. Just a few years ago, they were number five in public education in the United States. They're already down to number 25, and it's happened in just a few years.”
Busse said Gianforte is Bringing Montana 'Under Attack'
Busse wrapped up the hour-long conversation with this statement.
“This place has made me a better person,” he said. “I believe in Montana deeply, and it's not just the place, it's the people, and it's the systems and as the respect that are so endearing in the state and I believe it's under attack. I think that this last legislative session, and this governor are instituting things that are not Montana and they're tearing at the Montana we love.”
Click here to listen to the entire hour’s conversation with Ryan Busse.
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