An old friend of mine asked me why I was moving to Montana. Among the things I mentioned, along with freedom, natural beauty and the people here, was cost of living. My friend asked me what, in particular, I thought would be more affordable, and I said taxes, pointing out that there was no sales tax and taxes, generally, were far lower than in other states.
My friend's response was, to the effect of, "well, they will have to raise taxes to provide services, so you're going to end up paying."
This is a mindset that I reject entirely.
A state should live within its means. A state should not be a welfare-for-all state. A state should, instead, strive to minimize regulations and costs while fulfilling its basic obligations to provide for infrastructure, security, environment and help for the needy.
Welfare states like California, Oregon, Washington, New York or so many others may appeal to some, but Montana has never been, and never should be, such a state.
If the state begins to overreach and tries to be the single source provider of all things for all citizens, it will fail. Look at what the aforementioned states have done with their stratospheric taxes and smothering regulations.
I strongly oppose the imposition of general sales taxes in Montana and I similarly oppose the expansion of state-provided services that mimic those of a welfare state.
Safe roads, law enforcement, fire and emergency medical, services for the truly needy (rather than for everyone) and preservation of the natural environment are all areas where the state certainly should operate and taxes to provide for these services are appropriate. Taking over the role of parents, turning schools into breeding grounds for extremist thought and becoming the provider of all that a person wants or needs is not the role of the state, and taxes should absolutely not be raised or allocated for such things.
Montana is a state for those who value liberty, small government and individual autonomy over oppressive government and welfare, and our taxes should reflect this.
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