The Blog at MSPC

Montana has become one of America's economic success stories, but a new study released today by the Mountain States Policy Center argues the Treasure State risks falling behind unless it continues reforming its tax code.

Montana's prudent fiscal management and tax reforms to improve economic competitiveness have positioned the state well.

Montana policymakers have pursued one of the nation's most ambitious state-level housing reform agendas. Even with those efforts, it will take time to mitigate the growing tension between economic growth and housing attainability.

Over the past decade, individual income tax collections increased from $1.06 billion in Fiscal Year 2014 to $2.24 billion in Fiscal Year 2024. That's an increase of more than 111 percent.

Data centers have the potential to be an economic boon to the regions in which they are built, along with laying the groundwork for advances in medicine, national defense, and other research. Slowing data center development must be done based on local context, including the consumption levels of the data center and regional water availability.

Prevention measures such as forest thinning, prescribed burns, fuels reduction projects, and infrastructure hardening receive far less attention than suppression measures, even though they can reduce the severity and cost of future fires.

For Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming – the 2025 rankings reinforce the idea that fiscal conservatism is no longer simply a political slogan in the region, but a defining component of economic strategy and regional identity. It’s also a reminder for Washington of the important fiscal reforms needed.

The rule rescission brings common sense back to federal land management while also protecting the livelihoods of thousands who responsibly make a living on our shared inheritance.

Civic participation in the United States has been weakening for years, and rural states like Montana and Wyoming feel those effects more intensely.

Those states that prioritize fiscal discipline and a low regulatory and tax burden are doing well. The opposite is true if a state fails to keep its fiscal and regulatory house in order.

In states where every dollar and opportunity matters, such as Wyoming and Montana, improving transparency could be just as important as expanding access, ensuring that students who attend college truly benefit from it.

The hits keep coming for Washington state’s poor fiscal management. The latest comes in the form of the recent credit ratings. At the same time, Idaho and Montana continue to receive high praise on credit reports for their fiscally conservative budget practices.

Montana could continue to improve its economic outlook by building on its impressive income tax reforms by moving to a flat income tax rate.

It is now far too late to challenge the constitution’s legality. However, Montanans deserve a constitution that is not under a legal cloud. A state constitutional convention could propose such a document.

U.S. energy demand is expected to rise by about 3.5% each year through 2040. There is already severe stress on our aging energy infrastructure, even before accounting for the power-hungry needs of new technologies.

Growing up in the era of pagers and pay phones, I survived cell phone-free until college. As a mom to a teenage boy, I tried to stave off phone use as long as possible. Debates on appropriate screen time, talks about cyberbullying, and warnings about predators have become the norm. For most students, cell phones are an integral part of everyday life, and thus, their use in school has become a contentious issue. Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming are each addressing cell

We were honored to have Montana Governor Greg Gianforte attend and address the crowd at our policy event in Helena on February 24. Governor Gianforte discussed his plans for the upcoming 2027 Legislative Session, noting that moving the Treasure State to a flat income tax and providing families with more education choice opportunities were among his top priorities.

Civic education doesn’t belong to one type of school or region. It belongs to everyone. Our hope is that teams will come from across Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Eastern Washington, so students can meet peers from different communities, compete respectfully, and go home with a deeper appreciation for how our system works.

Because water is so precious, the law governing it should be fair and certain. People are entitled to know what they can and can’t do. They need assurance that the rules will not change suddenly. Unfortunately, the Montana state constitution’s water provisions are confused and contradictory.

A plethora of research has found that economic prosperity depends on secure property rights. The insecurity of property rights was one reason Montana lagged economically for so long. Moreover, property owners serve as a necessary counterbalance to government power. And protecting the benefits people earn is simple justice.