Montana taxes? (Kalispell, Whitefish: sales, buying, utilities)

[woodbutcher2]

I know I had read a thread around here at on point about the Montana tax situation, but I can't seem to find it now, so I apologize if this is a well worn topic. I've looked at the tax foundations breakdown, but remember reading someone saying that if you make more than around 80,000 you will be taxed at a high 11%! That sure seems to make up for any minute savings you would have without a sales tax. I would appreciate any verification of this or just a discussion about the financial pros and cons of this wonderful state. Thanks!

[Redraven]

According to the Montana Income Tax Form 2M tax table, If your taxable income is more than $15,600, you multiply the taxable income by 6.9%, subtract $499, and the remainder is your tax.
Taxable income, of course, is the remainder after all exemptions and deductions have been subtracted.
That is the highest rate shown in the table.

[Redraven]

I will vote FOR a sales tax when and if the Income Tax goes away at the exact same instant the sales tax goes into effect!
If a sales tax ever does get passed, the governments in the State would have to learn to live within their budgets. The State Constitution specifically limits ANY sales tax to 4%. It would take a Constitutional Ammendment to set the tax rate any higher than that!
Such an ammendment would be a tough sell, to say the least!

[GLS]

Originally Posted by Redraven

I will vote FOR a sales tax when and if the Income Tax goes away at the exact same instant the sales tax goes into effect!
If a sales tax ever does get passed, the governments in the State would have to learn to live within their budgets. The State Constitution specifically limits ANY sales tax to 4%. It would take a Constitutional Ammendment to set the tax rate any higher than that!
Such an ammendment would be a tough sell, to say the least!

I hope others join you in your goal of having EITHER/OR a sales tax vs income tax. Here in California the legislators have removed that difficult decision from us. We have BOTH, with an income tax rate of 9.5% and a sales tax rate near 7.5% and they have still given every cent away to entitlement programs, union demands, and obscene pensions for those in power. We are broke and they still refuse to cut items such as paying for a van pool for illegal aliens.

[Gman2007]

Originally Posted by Redraven

I will vote FOR a sales tax when and if the Income Tax goes away at the exact same instant the sales tax goes into effect!

What would keep them from phasing back in the income tax after they had made it go away? Then they would have their sales tax AND income tax!

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Gman2007

What would keep them from phasing back in the income tax after they had made it go away? Then they would have their sales tax AND income tax!

That is why the sales tax has never been passed here though it's been tried many times. Every time the public tells them ok, pass an amendment that says income tax cannot be brought back without a vote of the people and the sales tax will pass. Needless to say the powers that be don't want to do that.
What they did do was back door a sales tax calling it a "resort tax". That's why I refuse to buy anything in Whitefish unless I have no choice.
I'd much prefer a sales tax so all the tourists pay to play but not until they drop income tax and lessen property taxes.

[wawagners]

So only in Whitefish you have to pay a "resort tax"? So it will cost more to live there? That is where we have been really considering buying some land.

[Mt-7]

The very reason we passed on through............

[bigtrees]

Originally Posted by wawagners

So only in Whitefish you have to pay a "resort tax"? So it will cost more to live there? That is where we have been really considering buying some land.

Will it cost more to live in Whitefish! hahahahahahahahahahhahahaha. Sorry, that's my hometown and where I grew up. I don't live there now because it's too expensive.

The answer is most people living in Whitefish don't generally have to worry about the resort tax because there really aren't stores you go shopping at in Whitefish. Food and gas is exempt and most other shopping you end up going to Kalispell anyway. Sportsmans, Western Building Center, and and maybe one or two other stores you'll shop at, but most things you will go to Kalispell for.

Yes, Whitefish is expensive. Look at land prices and you will see how expensive it is in Whitefish. If you're looking at affordable land, then you're looking a long ways out of town or land that doesn't have utilities (and utilities are very, very expensive to bring in.)

[woodbutcher2]

Originally Posted by Redraven

According to the Montana Income Tax Form 2M tax table, If your taxable income is more than $15,600, you multiply the taxable income by 6.9%, subtract $499, and the remainder is your tax.
Taxable income, of course, is the remainder after all exemptions and deductions have been subtracted.
That is the highest rate shown in the table.

Thanks Redraven. This is exactly what I had found but couldn't get that old post out of my mind. I appreciate the information!