Politics & Government
House GOP Touts Wins On Taxes, Housing As Campaign Season Heats Up
House Republicans didn't actually say "Read my lips," but their anti-tax-hike message was front and center at a press conference Monday.
New Hampshire House Republicans didn’t actually say “Read my lips,” but their anti-tax-hike message was front and center at a Monday press conference touting their successes in the legislative session that wrapped up last week.
Rep. Joe Sweeney talked up the Small Business Relief Act of 2026, which the GOP-led legislature sent to Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s desk.
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“We’re seeing companies flee Taxachusetts to come up to New Hampshire, including some companies in my own district, because New Hampshire has made it clear that we are the tax-friendly state,” Sweeney said. “We are continuing our position as being the most tax-friendly state in the Northeast.”
Rep. Joe Sweeney (R-Salem) talks tax policy at House GOP presser, June 8, 2026.(CREDIT: Michael Graham)
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On property taxes, Rep. Ross Berry (R-Weare) said passing HB 1300, which mandates general election votes on property tax caps, put control of those local tax hikes in the hands of local taxpayers.
“Making sure that as many people are choosing how their property tax bill will rise or will not rise is made way more important than protecting the current broken system. If you think the system’s working well right now, then don’t change it. House Republicans clearly disagree.”
Republicans acknowledged they failed to achieve their biggest goal: a constitutional amendment banning any future tax on personal income. That requires a supermajority, and the GOP just didn’t have the votes. House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) said voters have a chance to fix that in November.
“If you send us 240 Republicans to the New Hampshire House in November, we will make sure that New Hampshire stays an income-tax-free state forever,” he said.
Osborne made it clear he understood that voters were looking for a progress report, not a report card grading past performance.
“No voter cares about what we’ve done for you over the last two years. They want to know what you’re going to do for us in the next two years,” Osborne said.
At the same time, House Republicans want to make sure voters know they have been focused on the issues that matter to them, like housing costs.
With the median house price in New Hampshire hitting record highs over the past two years, Democrats like gubernatorial candidate Cinde Warmington have been hitting the GOP on the issue.
“They [voters] want housing that they can afford,” Warmington said last week upon filing to challenge Ayotte in November. “They want simple things, and it doesn’t matter what party they’re in. They want to be able to put a roof over their kids’ heads, feed them, clothe them, give them a great education, and retire with some dignity.”
Rep. Joe Alexander (R-Goffstown), who chairs the House Housing Committee, used his time at the mic to roll through policies he said will start bringing costs down: HB 428, which creates a single state housing code rather than relying on multiple municipalities, and HB 631, which allows Main Street buildings to be zoned and converted for housing.
He also touted legislation that streamlined state permitting from four departments to two while instituting a 60-day deadline, along with granting further approvals for property owners to build ADUs, or accessory dwelling units, on their properties.
Rep. Erica Layon (R-Derry) promotes the House GOP’s record on education and gun rights at a presser on June 8, 2026(CREDIT: Michael Graham)
Alexander told NHJournal that Republicans are making progress toward increasing the supply of available housing in New Hampshire, arguing that it is vital as Republicans anticipate an increase in businesses relocating to the state.
“We’re lowering business taxes, we’re lowering property taxes, we’re telling people to move here. But at the end of the day, we don’t have enough housing.”
Democrats have made the “downshifting” argument a centerpiece of their 2026 messaging. They argue that tax cuts in Concord reduce revenues to local governments, forcing them to raise property taxes.
“[Republicans are] shifting the tax burden from the wealthiest onto hard-working and retired Granite Staters and their property taxes,” Sen. Cindy Rosenwald (D-Nashua) told reporters earlier this year. “And in a state like New Hampshire, the only way you can make up those funds and still provide the services that are needed is to ask the property taxpayers to pay more.”
House Republicans rejected that argument.
“I’d like you to take a look at the business tax relief package that Rep. Sweeney talked about,” Osborne said. “Show me a billionaire who’s paying the Business Enterprise Tax. It doesn’t happen. That’s not how our taxes work. It is pre-profit businesses, it is businesses that are just trying to get on their feet that are paying that tax, and we’re bringing relief to them, so they can get going and grow New Hampshire.”
Republicans said the proof was in the business relocation pudding: the relocation of electronics manufacturer SynQor and Analogic Corp. to the Granite State.
“We have already seen over the last 10 years, every single time that we’ve reduced business taxes, our revenue has increased because our economy has grown,” Sweeney said.
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for House Republicans this session, especially as they navigated a sometimes rocky relationship with the governor.
House Republicans can credit two major setbacks to Ayotte: HB 609, which would have placed the Executive Council as the sole regulatory body on firearms in the state, and HB 751, an open-enrollment bill that would have mandated all school districts allow at least 10 percent of students to transfer to other public schools.
On HB 609, Attorney General John Formella urged lawmakers to table the measure, which the House did on a 182-160 vote, with 28 Republicans breaking ranks and voting alongside Democrats.
On HB 751, Ayotte released a statement declaring the bill was “not ready for prime time,” resulting in a unanimous vote to table the measure in the Senate.
Despite the sometimes bumpy relationship, Osborne said he was confident Ayotte would be out on the campaign trail with Republican legislators.
“I fully anticipate we will be working hand in hand with both Gov. Ayotte and our candidates for the U.S. Senate and Congress as well,” Osborne said. “All up and down the ticket, Republicans working together for the Granite State.”
This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.
