If you are a tax payer in Missoula, you undoubtedly know that taxes have gone up over the past ten years, but did you know they've shot up by 84 percent?

Missoula city councilman Adam Hertz has vocally opposed a recent tax increase proposal by Mayor John Engen and took the time to explain (see video) why he's attempting to push back against the new taxes.

"Business has been stagnant, growth has been somewhat stagnant, and taxes are a major disincentive to growth," Hertz said. "They're a major disincentive to starting a business. They're a major disincentive to building a house. I think we're really hurting ourselves here."

Also on Hertz's chopping block is a newly proposed Public Health and Safety special taxing district. Hertz says that since 2011 alone, the taxes in the two taxing districts Missoula already has have jumped up 213 percent. If Hertz's numbers are correct, the new district would push that number up to 283 percent by 2015.

Hertz believes that lowering the tax burden could actually lead to more taxes coming into city coffers.

"Lower taxes and lower mill levies, I think, could bring in more revenue, because they would actually create more growth in the city," Hertz said. "What we want to see is a growing tax base, we want to see more tax payers, we want to see more property value. What we don't want to see is higher rates of taxes on the existing tax payers."

 

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