# Smith for Montana — Melissa Smith for Montana House District 39 > Official campaign website for Melissa Smith, Democratic candidate for Montana House District 39 (Billings Heights). Melissa is a local business owner, lifelong Heights resident, and practical problem-solver running to be a community-first voice in Helena. > ## Pages - [Home](https://smithformontana.com/): Campaign overview and priorities - [About](https://smithformontana.com/about/): Melissa's background and community roots in the Heights - [Issues](https://smithformontana.com/issues/): Policy positions including property tax relief, utility costs, healthcare, and AI privacy guardrails - [Get Involved](https://smithformontana.com/get-involved/): Ways to volunteer and support the campaign - [Donate](https://smithformontana.com/donate/): Contribute to the campaign --- ## Pages - [Events](https://smithformontana.com/campaign-events/): Upcoming Events Meet with Melissa at any of these upcoming events April 2026 11 April 8:00 am – 9:00 am... - [Donate](https://smithformontana.com/donate/): Donate Support Melissa Smithfor Montana House District 39 One Time Donation Monthly Recurring This campaign doesn’t belong to any one... - [Get Involved](https://smithformontana.com/get-involved/): Get Involved You’re Invited Join the Movement This campaign isn’t about me, it’s about bringing all of our collective voices... - [Issues](https://smithformontana.com/issues/): Issues Practical Results for the Heights Common-Sense Priorities I believe that our government isn’t a monolith interpreted for us by... - [About](https://smithformontana.com/about/): About Melissa From the Heights, For the Heights A Neighbor, Not a Career Politician I’m Mels—an artist, small business owner,... - [Home](https://smithformontana.com/): A Practical Voice for House District 39 Building a Stronger Billings Heights, Together. Our representation should be focused on what... - [News](https://smithformontana.com/news/) --- ## Posts - [What Montana's Bankers Told Me — And What I Plan to Do About It](https://smithformontana.com/what-montanas-bankers-told-me-and-what-i-plan-to-do-about-it/): Crypto fraud is one of the fastest-growing financial crimes in America, and Montana families aren't immune. Here's what our local... - [Data Centers in Montana: I Want to Hear From You](https://smithformontana.com/data-centers-in-montana-i-want-to-hear-from-you/): Something big is happening with Montana’s energy future, and most people in the Heights haven’t heard about it yet. Big... - [Montana Got Something Right That 45 States Got Wrong. Let's Not Give It Up.](https://smithformontana.com/montana-got-something-right-that-45-states-got-wrong-lets-not-give-it-up/): Knocking doors in House District 39, I keep hearing the same frustration from two very different directions. Some neighbors think... --- # # Detailed Content ## Pages - Published: 2026-02-12 - Modified: 2026-04-09 - URL: https://smithformontana.com/campaign-events/ Upcoming Events Meet with Melissa at any of these upcoming events April 2026 11 April 8:00 am - 9:00 am Coffee with Your Candidate Location 105 Brewing 815 Yellowstone River Rd, Billings, MT 59105 Every Saturday at 8am, you’ll find me at 105 Brewing. I’m your neighbor and I’m running for State House, but mostly I’m just someone who believes the best ideas come from real conversations. What’s working in the Heights? What isn’t? What do you wish someone in Helena actually understood? Come talk. Come listen. Come for the coffee. All of it is welcome. 105 Brewing, Saturdays at 8am. See you there. Share this event + Add to Google Calendar + iCal / Outlook export 23 April 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Yellowstone Democratic Club Meet & Greet — Come Say Hi Location MSUB Student Union Building 1500 University Dr, Billings, MT 59101, USA Meet Mels at the Yellowstone Democratic Club Candidate Meet & Greet Thursday, April 23 | 5:30–6:30 p. m. MSUB Student Union Building, Big Sky Room 1500 University Dr, Billings I’ll be joining Yellowstone County state legislative candidates at the Yellowstone Democratic Club’s Meet & Greet. Stop by, introduce yourself, and let’s talk about what’s on your mind — property taxes, schools, healthcare, or whatever matters most to you and your family in the Heights. The evening continues at 6:30 with a Town Hall featuring US Senate and US House District 2 candidates. RSVP: yellowstonedemocrat@fastmail. com Share this event + Add to Google Calendar + iCal / Outlook export No event found! View Full Calendar Subscribe for UpdatesThis campaign is informed by our community. The best solutions happen when we learn from each other what's important. Subscribe to News Subscribe EmailSubscribe Our Blog Blog & Articles Load More edit post Affordability Data Centers in Montana: I Want to Hear From You Something big is happening with Montana's energy future, and most people in the Heights haven't heard about it yet. Big tech companies want to... Read More edit post Affordability What Montana’s Bankers Told Me — And What I Plan to Do About It Crypto fraud is one of the fastest-growing financial crimes in America, and Montana families aren't immune. Here's what our local bankers told me —... Read More edit post Taxes Montana Got Something Right That 45 States Got Wrong. Let’s Not Give It Up. Knocking doors in House District 39, I keep hearing the same frustration from two very different directions. Some neighbors think a sales tax is... Read More --- - Published: 2026-02-11 - Modified: 2026-04-09 - URL: https://smithformontana.com/donate/ Donate Support Melissa Smithfor Montana House District 39 One Time Donation Monthly Recurring This campaign doesn’t belong to any one candidate. It belongs to every person in HD39 who’s ready to have a real voice in Helena. Whether it’s $1 or the maximum $470, you’re not just supporting a campaign. You’re investing in your own representation. Thank you for taking that seriously. I do too. Use this form to send a monthly recurring donation to support this campaign. Your donation, whatever the amount, is you choosing to be part of your own representation. That’s not a small thing. Thank you, genuinely, for showing up this way. Monthly transactions will end in November, 2026, or when the total amount donated from an individual reaches the maximum allowed $470. This campaign doesn't belong to any one candidate. It belongs to every person in HD39 who's ready to have a real voice in Helena. Whether it's $1 or the maximum $470, you're not just supporting a campaign. You're investing in your own representation. Thank you for taking that seriously. I do too. Use this form to send a monthly recurring donation to support this campaign. Your donation, whatever the amount, is you choosing to be part of your own representation. That's not a small thing. Thank you, genuinely, for showing up this way. Monthly transactions will end in November, 2026, or when the total amount donated from an individual reaches the maximum allowed $470. --- - Published: 2023-07-06 - Modified: 2026-02-11 - URL: https://smithformontana.com/get-involved/ Get Involved You're Invited Join the Movement This campaign isn’t about me, it’s about bringing all of our collective voices to Helena, and I want to know how our state policies impact you. Watch it Happen1. Subscribe to email updates 2. Follow online and share our posts Jki-facebook-light Instagram Tiktok Make it Happen1. Host a Meet & Greet with neighbors 2. Help knock doors on Action Days twice each month 3. Donate to keep the campaign supplied Donate Leave A Message Contact Form Notify First NameLast NameEmailSubjectYour MessageSubmit Form --- - Published: 2023-07-06 - Modified: 2026-04-09 - URL: https://smithformontana.com/issues/ Issues Practical Results for the Heights Common-Sense Priorities I believe that our government isn’t a monolith interpreted for us by the media or career politicians—it belongs to us. Laws are simply the agreements we make with our neighbors on how to run our community. I’m running for House District 39 to be your partner in Helena, ensuring that our government responds to the actual wishes and intent of the people in the Heights. End Property Tax HikesPermanent tax relief for homeowners, not one-time gimmicks. Lower Our Utility BillsPrioritizing families and holding monopolies accountable. Lower Healthcare CostsStopping the "Hidden Tax" on middle-class premiums. Commonsense AI GuardrailsDemanding accountability from tech providers to protect your privacy. Your Questions Answered Who is Mels, and why are you running for House District 39? I’m an artist, small business owner, and parent who has raised a family in the Heights. I’m running because I believe we need a representative who prioritizes results over rhetoric. I use a philosophy I call "Locking the Door"—focusing on personal and community responsibility to prevent problems before they become crises. While Helena politicians are often distracted by national culture wars, I am focused on the practical needs of our neighborhood: our homes, our local infrastructure, and our pocketbooks. How will you work to cut property taxes for Heights families? Helena has spent years relying on "one-time" rebates, which act as a band-aid rather than a solution. I support permanent property tax reform that rebalances the tax code so that residential homeowners and seniors aren't carrying the burden while out-of-state corporations and the ultra-wealthy enjoy tax breaks. We need a system where families can afford to stay in the homes they have worked their whole lives to build. What can you do to lower our utility bills? Right now, the Public Service Commission (PSC) acts more like a rubber stamp for utility monopolies than a watchdog for consumers. I advocate for PSC reform that puts families before record-breaking corporate profits. Your utility bill shouldn't be a profit center for a monopoly; it should be an affordable service that reflects the needs of Montana families. Why is protecting Medicaid essential for middle-class healthcare? Many people don't realize that Medicaid is the glue that keeps our entire healthcare system affordable. When the state cuts Medicaid, it forces local hospitals and clinics to shift those costs onto everyone else, which drives up private insurance premiums. I support protecting Medicaid expansion as a way to stop this "hidden tax" on middle-class families and ensure our local healthcare facilities remain open and accessible for everyone. What are "Common-Sense AI Guardrails," and why do we need them? Technology is moving faster than our laws, leaving our families vulnerable to new kinds of predators. I support passing AI Accountability laws that treat a digital crime just as seriously as a physical one. This includes protecting your "Digital Likeness"—your voice and image—from being stolen by scammers and requiring that AI-generated content be clearly disclosed. It’s about "locking the digital door" so that our seniors and families are safe from fraud and identity theft. What does "Addressing Causes, Not Just Consequences" mean? In Helena, politicians love to pass "consequence" laws—punishing people after a problem has already spiraled out of control. I believe we should ask why problems are happening in the first place. Whether it’s finding unexpected ways to solve a school policy issue or building relationships with neighbors to keep our streets safe, my goal is to address root causes so we can build a community that actually fits our needs. Subscribe for UpdatesThis campaign is informed by our community. The best solutions happen when we learn from each other what's important. Subscribe to News Subscribe EmailSubscribe Our Blog Blog & Articles Load More edit post Affordability Data Centers in Montana: I Want to Hear From You Something big is happening with Montana's energy future, and most people in the Heights haven't heard about it yet. Big tech companies want to... Read More edit post Affordability What Montana’s Bankers Told Me — And What I Plan to Do About It Crypto fraud is one of the fastest-growing financial crimes in America, and Montana families aren't immune. Here's what our local bankers told me —... Read More edit post Taxes Montana Got Something Right That 45 States Got Wrong. Let’s Not Give It Up. Knocking doors in House District 39, I keep hearing the same frustration from two very different directions. Some neighbors think a sales tax is... Read More --- - Published: 2023-07-06 - Modified: 2026-04-09 - URL: https://smithformontana.com/about/ About Melissa From the Heights, For the Heights A Neighbor, Not a Career Politician I’m Mels—an artist, small business owner, and parent. I am running for the Montana House because I believe our representation should be focused on the Heights, not on social media headlines. For too long, politics in Helena has been about "consequences"—passing laws that restrict or punish after a problem has already occurred. I believe in a different way. I believe we reclaim our government when we take responsibility for our neighborhoods and ask the right questions: Why is this happening, and how can we solve it together? While my opponent focuses on national culture wars that don't impact our daily lives, I am focused on the things that keep our community running: Property Tax ReliefMoving past one-time rebates toward permanent reform for homeowners. Local InfrastructureEnsuring our fair share of funding for the Billings Bypass and our water systems. Safe NeighborhoodsBuilding relationships where neighbors look out for one another. I’m not a career politician. I’m your neighbor. I’m not here to solve your problems for you—I’m here to partner with you so we can solve them together. Easy Step For Make A Donation There are so many things that are good in our lives, and I am grateful to all the people who came before me that made this possible. From the time my family set foot in this country generations ago, they worked hard to build strong communities and teach their children the responsibility of citizenship. Support for my campaign is support for our community and our democracy. Donate Meeting Challenges Head On About Melissa I was born in Iowa in a time of tumultuous cultural change, to parents who firmly believed in the ability of their two daughters, teaching us that we could achieve anything we set our minds to with the right work ethic. When the factory my dad worked at moved operations to Mexico, we relocated from our comfortable, union-wage mid-western lifestyle to California where better jobs and free college beckoned. The 80's were not good for blue collar workers, and we ended up moving every year, chasing jobs and affordable housing, until I finished (the no longer free) college and settled with my high school sweetheart, now husband, in his home state of Montana. I love to solve problems. I'm most fulfilled when I can dig into a problem and find a solution to make somebody's life a little bit better. This passion lead me from from my work in retail management, to heading Internet Montana in the early 2000's, into marketing where I realized my passion for all things Internet, and my current work as a website developer. Alongside my work to support myself and my family, I work to support my community through service, almost always in non-profits focused on education or services for the low-income community. --- - Published: 2023-07-06 - Modified: 2026-04-09 - URL: https://smithformontana.com/ A Practical Voice for House District 39 Building a Stronger Billings Heights, Together. Our representation should be focused on what our neighborhood needs, not on social media headlines. What Are Your Issues? Let's Make Change Together. Get Started Practical Results for the Heights Common-Sense Priorities I believe that our government isn’t a monolith interpreted for us by the media or career politicians—it belongs to us. Laws are simply the agreements we make with our neighbors on how to run our community. I’m running for House District 39 to be your partner in Helena, ensuring that our government responds to the actual wishes and intent of the people in the Heights. End Property Tax HikesPermanent tax relief for homeowners, not one-time gimmicks. Lower Our Utility BillsPrioritizing families and holding monopolies accountable. Lower Healthcare CostsStopping the "Hidden Tax" on middle-class premiums. Commonsense AI GuardrailsDemanding accountability from tech providers to protect your privacy. Real SolutionsYour concerns are what drive this campaign. I'm sharing what I learn here so we can move forward together as a community: Read More Let's do this together Join the Movement Real change doesn't come from one candidate — it comes from a community that decides it's time to be heard. This is that community. Be part of it. Donate NowOrGet Involved Meet Your Candidate Look me up and let's have a real conversation about what this district needs Full calendar 11Apr Coffee with Your Candidate 8:00 am - 9:00 am 105 Brewing 11Apr Walking Your Neighborhood in Precinct 9 This Weekend: Let’s Talk! 10:00 am - 1:00 pm 18Apr Coffee with Your Candidate 8:00 am - 9:00 am 105 Brewing No event found! Voters' Voices Here's some of the issues that voters are talking to me about... Load More edit post Affordability Data Centers in Montana: I Want to Hear From You Something big is happening with Montana's energy future, and most people in the Heights haven't heard about it yet. Big tech companies want to... Read More edit post Affordability What Montana’s Bankers Told Me — And What I Plan to Do About It Crypto fraud is one of the fastest-growing financial crimes in America, and Montana families aren't immune. Here's what our local bankers told me —... Read More edit post Taxes Montana Got Something Right That 45 States Got Wrong. Let’s Not Give It Up. Knocking doors in House District 39, I keep hearing the same frustration from two very different directions. Some neighbors think a sales tax is... Read More Rooted in the Heights A Neighbor, Not a Career Politician I’ve raised my kids and built my business right here in the Heights. I believe in taking personal and community responsibility to solve problems before they become crises. Whether it’s finding a way to make school policies work for our kids or building relationships with neighbors to keep our streets safe, I am committed to a community-first approach. We reclaim our government when we participate. I’m asking for your vote so we can solve our problems together. For too long, politics in Helena has been about "consequences" - passing laws that restrict or punish after a problem has already occurred. I believe in a different way. I believe we reclaim our government when we take responsibility for our neighborhoods and ask the right questions: Why is this happening, and how can we solve it together? About Melissa Voter Issues --- --- ## Posts - Published: 2026-04-09 - Modified: 2026-04-09 - URL: https://smithformontana.com/what-montanas-bankers-told-me-and-what-i-plan-to-do-about-it/ - Categories: Affordability - Tags: fraud protection Crypto fraud is one of the fastest-growing financial crimes in America, and Montana families aren't immune. Here's what our local bankers told me — and what I'd do about it in Helena. Recently I attended a Montana Bankers Association reception for legislative candidates. Cryptocurrency fraud was one of the top concerns they raised. Bankers across the political spectrum are watching this problem grow and looking for state lawmakers willing to act. I am. What's happening Crypto fraud is one of the fastest-growing financial crimes in America, and it reaches every ZIP code. Scammers operate online, which means rural and small-city residents are just as vulnerable as anyone else, and often more so, because they have fewer resources and strong community trust that criminals actively exploit. The most common schemes right now: fake investment platforms that disappear with your money, "recovery scams" that steal from people who've already been victimized, and a particularly cruel long con called "pig butchering," where scammers build a fake relationship over weeks before introducing a fraudulent investment opportunity. Victims routinely lose tens of thousands of dollars. Seniors are disproportionately targeted. What Montana can do This is a state-level issue, and there's real work to be done in Helena: Update Montana's securities laws to clearly cover digital assets and close loopholes fraudsters currently exploit Regulate cryptocurrency kiosks (the ATM-like machines in gas stations and convenience stores) with transaction limits and required fraud warnings Strengthen elder financial abuse protections to specifically address crypto fraud Resource Montana's Office of Consumer Protection and Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute these cases Fund public awareness partnerships with local banks, credit unions, and senior centers One more thing This isn't about being for or against cryptocurrency. Plenty of Montanans use digital assets legitimately. The goal is the same as it's always been: require honesty, stop fraud, protect people from criminals. Our local banks are already on the front lines of this. They shouldn't have to fight it alone. If you've been affected by a crypto scam or want to talk about how to spot one, I'd love to hear from you at melsforhd39. com, or come find me Saturday mornings at 105 Brewing. Protecting our neighbors from fraud isn't a partisan issue. It's just the right thing to do. --- - Published: 2026-04-09 - Modified: 2026-04-09 - URL: https://smithformontana.com/data-centers-in-montana-i-want-to-hear-from-you/ - Categories: Affordability, Environment & Public Lands, Worker's Rights - Tags: A.I. data centers Something big is happening with Montana's energy future, and most people in the Heights haven't heard about it yet. Big tech companies want to build massive data centers here, and how Montana handles that will affect your electric bill, your property taxes, and the kinds of jobs available in our community for years to come. I've been digging into this, and I want to share what I've found and hear what you think. +Wait — what exactly is a data center? A data center is essentially a massive warehouse full of computers and cooling systems. They power things like artificial intelligence tools, cryptocurrency mining, and cloud storage. Every time you save a file to "the cloud" or use an AI assistant, that work is happening in a facility like this. They are not like a typical factory or office building. Their energy and water demands are far beyond what most communities are designed to handle, and they operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. +What's actually being proposed in Montana? NorthWestern Energy, Montana's largest utility and the company that powers most of our homes and businesses, has signed agreements to provide electricity to multiple data centers in Yellowstone County and elsewhere in the state. NorthWestern currently uses about 760 megawatts of electricity to power all of its Montana customers. The data centers it has agreed to serve would need more than twice that amount, enough to power roughly 1. 2 million homes. Montana has about 500,000 homes total. To put it plainly: NorthWestern has promised data centers more power than it currently provides to every home and business in Montana combined, and it doesn't yet have a plan for where that power comes from. +Why should I care about that? Because right now, there is nothing in Montana law preventing NorthWestern from passing the cost of building new power plants and upgrading the grid onto your electric bill. All of that new infrastructure would exist primarily to serve these data centers. We have a real-world example of what can happen. In northern Virginia, where data centers are already dense, regulators predict that average residential electric bills will increase by up to $37 per month as utilities expand to meet data center demand. That is over $440 a year, on top of the rate increases Montanans have already seen. That is not hypothetical. That is what happens when states do not put guardrails in place before the data centers arrive. +What did our legislature do about this? Honestly, not much, and some of what they did made things worse for homeowners. In 2025, the Montana Legislature lowered the property tax rate for data centers to 0. 9%, one of the lowest rates in the state, at the same time residential property tax rates were going up for families across Billings Heights. A study resolution that would have examined the impacts of data centers on our energy grid did not even make it out of committee. Republican members on the Senate Energy Committee killed it before it could be studied. Meanwhile, NorthWestern tried to pass two bills that would have let them sign contracts with data centers without any Public Service Commission oversight, effectively cutting the public out of decisions that affect every ratepayer in Montana. +Aren't data centers good for jobs? Construction is, genuinely. Building a large data center facility means real union labor: electricians, ironworkers, pipefitters, operating engineers. That is significant work, and those are good Montana jobs. I support that, and I support the workers who do it. But it is worth being honest about the full picture. Once a data center is built and operating, it typically employs between 20 and 50 permanent workers, for a facility that might have employed 1,000 or more during construction. The long-term economic return to the community is often much smaller than the initial jobs promise suggests. Montana has seen this pattern before. Well-financed industries come in, take what they need from our resources, and leave locals holding the bag when the boom is over. That history is worth keeping in mind. +Is anyone trying to stop data centers entirely? Some people are. Several states including New York, South Dakota, and Oklahoma have introduced moratorium bills that would pause new data center construction for a few years while they study the impacts on utilities, the environment, and local communities. I have friends and colleagues who support a multi-year moratorium on large data centers in Montana. Their concerns are legitimate, covering our grid, our water supply, and whether we can regulate fast enough to protect people. I also have friends who argue that a moratorium would shut down the conversation about good regulation before it can even start. Their view is that it is easier to require accountability from companies that have already committed to the state than from ones who have not arrived yet. Both perspectives have real merit. I will tell you where I lean at the end of this post, but I genuinely want to hear where you stand first. +What about the environment and water? Data centers use enormous amounts of water for cooling, comparable in scale to large industrial facilities. And because Montana still relies heavily on coal for power generation, bringing massive new electricity demand online could extend the life of fossil fuel plants rather than accelerating the move toward cleaner energy. There is a smarter path available. Requiring data centers to bring their own renewable energy generation, like solar or wind, as a condition of connecting to the grid would mean new industrial demand builds clean capacity instead of propping up old fossil infrastructure. Some states are already moving in that direction. +What could the state legislature actually do about this? Quite a bit, actually. Other states have already shown the way: Create a separate rate class for data centers.  Oregon and Virginia have done this. It means data centers pay their own infrastructure costs rather than having those costs spread across all residential... --- - Published: 2026-02-28 - Modified: 2026-04-09 - URL: https://smithformontana.com/montana-got-something-right-that-45-states-got-wrong-lets-not-give-it-up/ - Categories: Taxes Knocking doors in House District 39, I keep hearing the same frustration from two very different directions. Some neighbors think a sales tax is long overdue. Others are emphatically against it but feel stuck, like there's no good path forward. But underneath both positions is the same concern: property taxes are too high, and our schools, roads, and public services aren't getting funded well enough. That part, everyone agrees on. So when I say I oppose a sales tax, I want to be clear that I'm not dismissing the problem. I live here too, and I feel it too. What I'm saying is that a sales tax is the wrong tool for a real problem. It would hit working families hardest, wouldn't generate enough revenue to actually replace property taxes, and would put a new burden on top of problems we haven't finished solving. There are better ways forward. Below, I work through the most common arguments for a sales tax, because neighbors on both sides of this debate deserve a straight answer, not a talking point. Frequently Asked Questions About Sales Tax in Montana 1. Why is a sales tax being discussed right now? Montana's property taxes have risen dramatically over the past several years. Two back-to-back reappraisal cycles, combined with surging home values during and after the pandemic, pushed residential property to represent 58% of Montana's property tax base in 2023, up from just 35% in 1996. That shift put an increasing share of the tax burden on homeowners and renters while other property types, including large commercial holdings, picked up comparatively less. At the same time, Montana's economy has changed. Natural resource industries that once generated significant tax revenue have declined, while the service economy, remote workers, and tourism have grown. Some economists and business groups argue that a tax system built for the Montana of 1980 no longer reflects the Montana of today, and that a sales tax could capture economic activity that the current system misses. There's also an active push from some education advocates. A coalition including the Montana School Boards Association has explored using sales tax revenue as an alternative funding source for schools, though their plan has faced criticism for increasing overall tax collections rather than genuinely replacing property taxes. So the conversation is real, and the underlying concerns are legitimate. Where I disagree is with the proposed solution. 2. Wouldn't a sales tax make tourists pay their share? This is the most appealing argument for a sales tax, and I want to take it seriously, because the concern behind it is legitimate. Montana hosts a record number of visitors. In 2024, roughly 13. 8 million nonresident visitors spent approximately $5 billion in our state. They use our roads, our parks, our emergency services. It's reasonable to ask whether they're contributing enough. But here's what the state's own analysts found: Montana's nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Division estimates that nonresident visitors would pay only about 12% of a typical general sales tax. The other 88% would come out of Montanans' pockets, at the grocery store, the hardware store, the pharmacy. Why so little from tourists? Partly because out-of-state property owners already contribute significantly through property taxes. They make up about 33. 8% of Montana's residential property tax base. And partly because consumer spending in Montana is dominated by residents, not visitors. The tourist dollars are real, but they're not the majority of what a sales tax would capture. If we want tourists to contribute more, we already have targeted tools that work: lodging taxes, resort taxes in communities like Whitefish and West Yellowstone, and entrance fees for public lands. Those tools can be expanded and improved without taxing every Montanan every time they buy a pair of work boots. That's a smarter approach than a broad sales tax that makes Montanans pay 88 cents of every dollar raised. 3. Couldn't a sales tax replace property taxes and lower my bill? This is the version of the sales tax argument I hear most from people who are genuinely frustrated with their property tax bills, and I understand the appeal completely. Here's the math problem: Montana's constitution caps any statewide sales tax at 4%. At that maximum rate, a sales tax would have generated roughly $1. 31 billion in fiscal year 2024. Montana's property taxes currently raise about $2. 34 billion per year. That means even a sales tax at the highest rate the constitution allows would replace only about 55 cents of every dollar that property taxes currently raise. A sales tax cannot replace property taxes. It can only supplement them, which means in practice, most proposals end up layering a new tax on top of a partially reduced old one. You'd be paying both. Montanans have been skeptical of this swap for good reason. When former Republican Governor Marc Racicot proposed a sales tax in 1993, voters rejected it by 49 percentage points. The following year, they amended the Montana Constitution to cap any future sales tax at 4%, a limit that would take another statewide vote to change. Polling today consistently shows that most Montanans don't believe a genuine tax swap would ever actually happen. They expect politicians to add the sales tax without truly eliminating property taxes. History suggests they're right to be skeptical. 4. What about using a sales tax to fund schools? School funding is a genuine crisis in Montana, and I take it seriously. Teacher pay, classroom resources, and the long-term stability of school budgets are all concerns I hear from parents and educators throughout House District 39. But the specific sales tax proposal circulating among some education advocates deserves scrutiny. Rather than replacing an existing tax with sales tax revenue, the plan would use a sales tax to add new revenue on top of existing collections, increasing the overall tax burden on Montanans rather than shifting it. Critics across the political spectrum have called this out for what it is: using legitimate frustration about school funding as a... --- --- > Paid for by Friends of Melissa Smith (D), 1335 Naples St, Billings, MT 59105. This site represents an active 2026 campaign for the Montana State Legislature. ---