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Martz names 41 to 3 tax panels
Gov. Judy Martz on Thursday announced the names of the 41 Montanans whom she
appointed to three advisory committees to recommend tax changes to her by Labor Day.
BY CHARLES S. JOHNSON
Gazette State Bureau
One committee, headed by Senate Taxation Chairman Bob DePratu, R-Whitefish, will study state income
taxes, while another, led by House Taxation Chairman Bob Story, R-Park City, will look at a sales tax on tourist
items. The third panel, with Rep. Joe McKenney, R-Great Falls, as chairman, will explore local option taxes.
The first two committees are expected to start meeting in late May or early June. Each committee probably
will meet three to five times, said state Revenue Director Kurt Alme.
The Republican governor put two GOP lawmakers and two Democratic legislators on each of the
committees. Democratic legislative leaders had asked for this balance, although Martz said she would have
done so anyway.
"We’re just trying to do what’s right for the people of Montana, not what’s right politically," Martz said. House
Minority Leader Kim Gillan, D-Billings, said she was glad Martz agreed to put an equal number of Democratic
and Republican legislators on the committees.
"It’s important to get a good balance and a lot of different voices and not just a rubber stamp," Gillan said.
"They’ve got an enormous task to do before the next session. Let’s hope they work at the task at hand, and they
don’t rubber-stamp what the governor wants."
The committees include certified public accountants, local government officials, tourist business owners,
labor union leaders, local and state Chamber of Commerce officials, agriculture representatives, business
owners, lawyers and an economics professor. Martz said about 75 people applied for the 41 slots.
The goal, Martz said, is to take a plan to the 2003 Legislature to reduce state individual income taxes by 10
percent. She said she wants to work on the tax plan now and not announce it right before the Legislature
convenes as some governors have done. By starting early, she said, it provides the chance for extensive public
comment and discussion before the session. Overhauling Montana’s taxes is a key component in the Martz
administration’s economic development plan to help create good-paying jobs, she said.
"We are confident that this plan will put money in the pockets of Montanans, bring in much-needed capital
and create and retain good-paying jobs," Martz said. On April 15, Martz announced the framework for a plan to
cut Montanans’ individual income taxes by 10 percent, to lower the top marginal tax rates and possibly
eliminating the right of Montanans to deduct their federal taxes paid from state income taxes. To make up for the
lost money, she tentatively proposed a sales tax on tourist items, possibly including restaurant meals and
drinks, sporting goods and certain other items, along with a higher lodging tax, that would be paid by both
Montanans and nonresidents.
Martz was asked if she would accept or modify the recommendations of the committees. "I really think
they’re going to come up with people and the state want," she said, adding that she doesn’t try to interfere with
the work of committees she appoints.
Alme said these are the governor’s proposals, and Martz would make the final recommendations to the
2003 Legislature. Asked about the early criticism of the sales tax on tourist items, Martz said most critics don’t
fully understand her proposal. She said she initially was opposed to the idea of a tourist tax until she
understood the benefits of the full plan. "It is not a sales tax," Martz said "It is truly a 10 percent tax reduction."
Democrats had suggested six names for the income-tax committee, four for the tourist sales tax panel and
six for the local option tax panel. Martz appointed three Democrats to the suggested committees, and three
others to committees other than those recommended by the party.
Committee Members
HELENA – Here are the people appointed to the three tax advisory councils by Gov. Judy Martz:
INCOME TAX ADVISORY COUNCIL: Sen. Bob DePratu, R-Whitefish, chairman; State Revenue Director Kurt Alme,
vice-chairman; Rep. Karl Waitschies, R-Peerless; former Rep. Jerry Driscoll, D-Billings, executive secretary of the Montana
AFL-CIO; former Rep. Chase Hibbard, R-Helena, representing the Montana Taxpayers Association and agriculture; Tim
Bartz, Helena, certified public accountant; Leo Berry, Helena lawyer, representing retirees; Rep. Trudi Schmidt, D-Great
Falls; Doug Young, agricultural economics professor at Montana State University; Lary Johnson, certified public accountant,
Kalispell; Jon Machi, Polson, Montana Ambassadors; Scott Mendenhall, Whitehall, economic development; Karen Olson,
Blue Rock Beverages, Sidney, representing the Chamber of Commerce; Sen. Jon Tester, D-Big Sandy.
TOURIST TAX ADVISORY COUNCIL: Rep. Bob Story, R-Park City, chairman; Alme, vice chairman; Rep. Ron Devlin,
R-Terry; Sen. Emily Stonington, D-Bozeman; Rep. Ron Erickson, D-Missoula; Bill Howell, West Yellowstone, representing
tourism; Kelly Flynn, Hidden Hollow Hideaway, Townsend, representing tourism; Dennis Taylor, city administrator, Billings;
Roosevelt County Commissioner Dean Harmon of Bainville; Webb Brown, president of Montana Chamber of Commerce;
Mary Whittinghill, president of Montana Taxpayers Association; Dale Duff, Rocky Mountains Transportation Inc. of
Whitefish, representing tourism; Nancy Schlepp, Bozeman, representing agriculture; Bob Fletcher, Bozeman, representing
the Montana Tavern Association; Don Serba, Missoula, representing labor.
LOCAL OPTION TAX ADVISORY COUNCIL: Rep. Joe McKenney, R-Great Falls, chairman; Steve Snezek, chief adviser to
the lieutenant governor; Maureen Averill, Bigfork, representing tourism; Sen. Bill Glaser, R-Huntley; John Lawton, Great
Falls city manager; Larry Bonderud, mayor of Shelby; Carol Brooker of Plains, Sanders County commissioner; Marti Bara,
Days Inn of Helena, representing tourism and the Chamber of Commerce; Bob Gilbert of Helena; Evan Barrett of Butte,
representing economic development; Sen. Jon Ellingson, D-Missoula; Don Hoffman of Ismay, representing agriculture; Rep.
Ralph Lenhart, D-Glendive.
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