By Michael Somerby EBS DIGITAL EDITOR
Senate Bill 241, sponsored by Sen. Jeffrey Welborn,
R-Virginia City, will give Montana’s 10 resort tax communities the ability to
levy an additional 1 percent resort tax should individual communities vote to
implement it within their respective boundaries, following Gov. Steve Bullock’s
signing the bill on May 2.
As opposed to the previously standing 3 percent resort tax
levied on luxury goods, which has been in effect since 1992, funds from this
additional percentage will only be used for infrastructural projects within
said communities.
According to Kevin Germain, the Big Sky Resort Area District
tax board’s chairperson since 2015, putting that vote in front of residents is
a secondary concern at this point in time.
“There is no current plan on bringing this in front of
voters. In my opinion, we’re working first on the [‘Our Big Sky’] Community
Visioning Strategy before there’s any talk of increasing resort tax.”
The board also received the last resort tax appropriation
applications on the April 29 deadline, which totaled at about $11 million in
requests, and will be focusing on determining final appropriation figures from
an estimated haul of between $7.5 and $8 million in resort tax collections,
according to Germain.
Still, the board certainly recognizes the benefits of possibly
implementing the supplementary increase realized through SB 241 when the time
is appropriate.
“In my opinion, it’s a really great thing for this community,
just another tool in the toolbox,” Germain said. “Luckily, the Legislature saw
the need to increase it.”
