Taxes In New Hampshire, Thoughts?

By Nancy West, InDepth NH

InDepthNH.org asked our readers what they had to say about taxes in New Hampshire. And we got so many responses we will have to have at least two more days posting more of your opinions. Please keep sending your thoughts to me at nancywestnews@gmail.com We know what many elected officials say. Now let's here from you!

MICHAEL & PATRICIA BRITTAN
Taxes in New Hampshire are unbalanced, the less you have the more you pay. We (my wife and I) are strong supporters of public schools and the property tax system is not working. Further, giving away money in the form of vouchers to parents whose children are already in private or religious schools only makes matters worse. We are very much in favor of touching NH’s political third rail. From what I have read and understand the 3-3 tax saving plan makes great sense.
MICHAEL & PATRICIA BRITTAN, Nashua, NH

SHARON RACUSIN, Hanover
Thank you for polling readers about taxes. I get angry each time I hear that there is a budget shortfall or that we have to cut services because there isn't enough money. We are living in self-imposed austerity. We have a Governor who is aiming to gentrify the state because only wealthy people will be able to live here.

The wealthy need to pay their fair share. Interest and dividends are unearned income. People who have investments can afford to lift up those who need basic help. Homeowners are shouldering the majority of public school funding while the state is stealing tax dollars to send to religious schools and there will be nothing left to run our towns. Revenue is being scraped from the most unprincipled sources like gambling and casinos and filling our landfills with other state's trash.

Governor Ayotte won't lower the gas tax while she supports Trump whose war is the cause of the highest gas prices in memory but went after Vail Ski corporation for the tax on ski passes. The latter is completely specious. In order to prevent imposing taxes during policy making, the legislature does a cost analysis of every bill but never considers the costs of those policies when poor outcomes affect our daily lives, our health or the environment best illustrated by killing car inspections.

Do you remember Sam Brownback and the Kansas tax experiment? It was unsustainable and I feel like we are headed in the direction of bankruptcy. Thank you again for asking this important question.
SHARON RACUSIN, Hanover

RUSSELL S. THOMAS, Nelson, NH
Taxes are unfair in NH. Using the property tax to pay for almost everything is shortsighted and wrong. A tax on luxury items would be great. Taxing the wealthy would be great. A graduated income tax makes the most sense but the Free Staters and Libertarians won't go for it.
RUSSELL S. THOMAS, Nelson, NH

SUSAN PEERY
I believe we need a broad-based tax based on ability to pay rather than relying mostly on property taxes for funding. It should be set up to put more burden on high-income people. A surtax on second homes owned by out-of-staters would be good too.
SUSAN PEERY

SARAH ZELLNER
NH has to balance generating funds to take care of the State with protecting standards of living. I say start with taxes on alcohol, cigarettes/nicotine products, & all junk foods. These are all things we can exist without, but if a person chooses to include them in their life, they should pay for it. All these items have a negative impact on health & the State pays the bill on a lot of preventable ailments!
SARAH ZELLNER

CONNIE WHITCHER
We lived in Wentworth, NH, for over 30 years. We lived on a gravel road, with very little in town. We traveled to work in Plymouth, NH, a college town, each day, about 15 miles or so. The town itself had a small 50-60 kid elementary school and a gas station which pretty much made up the town. We lived in a log home my husband built on about 1.5 acres of usable land of 6.5 acres of granite. There was no cell service, internet, or cable available to us. Our tax bill for our home when we left was over $5,000 a year. Wentworth does have elderly tax breaks but they seem unrealistic in this day and age, and of course we did not qualify.

The town did plow and maintain our road, and there is a town dump. The dump has a very long list of all things it won't take and things you must pay for to dispose of. The taxes, fuel to heat in winter along with other challenges, we found ourselves pretty much in a dilemma. We sold our home, packed up and moved to a beautiful area in another state. NH is a beautiful state, but like everything else, it does have many challenges for some who live there. The minimum wage in NH is still $7.25 per hour. In the northeast, that says a lot about the state. Where we live now, and yes, it's a smaller house that isn't as pretty, but our house taxes are $481 dollars per year. For us it was a good move and so far, we have no regrets.
CONNIE WHITCHER

GEOFF WAITE, Campton
1) Gas tax. The current debate about eliminating it is shortsighted and, frankly, dumb. Gas is not expensive because of the tax and the tax is needed as much now as ever it was to pay for infrastructure. It should stay.

2) Income tax. NH should explore introducing one. There are two means tested taxation mechanisms: wealth and income, and a tax system should use both in some balance. NH ideological maintenance of a wealth only tax system (via property tax) is unfair, and should be offset via an income tax.

3) Sales tax. Actually, a third means tested tax, but a hugely unfair one as it disproportionately impacts the poorer end of the citizenry. If (and a big if) sales tax were introduced, it should be only on discretionary spending, i.e. not on living essentials like food, clothing, shelter, etc.

4) Not-for-profit taxation. The whole system is broken and abused and needs overhauling, especially with regard to property taxes. Churches, private education, and high income charity thrift stores are all examples of tax evasion that should be somehow reassessed. Towns with high levels of NFP occupancy, like Plymouth, will become unsustainable.

The functioning of modern society demands capital and cash be available to government to insertion it. The only alternative is anarchy and a resulting regression to lawless survivalist (i.e., not civilization). Taxes are therefore essential to humanity and the populist view that taxes are bad is destructive and disabling. We need, collectively, to change the conversation, accept taxes as good and necessary, and get on with life! Keep up the good work!
GEOFF WAITE, Campton

THOMAS HARTLEY
Extremely happy to live and thrive in beautiful No Income or Sales Tax NH. No tax on interest and dividends. A reduced business enterprise tax in addition to no tax on tips or overtime. A wonderful state to enjoy such natural amenities. Quality of life abounds.

Compared to our neighbors in Massachusetts, no comparison at all. Not a sanctuary state dolling out hard earned dollars to illegal immigrants from New Hampshire source of revenues. Dollars that should stay with and for NH Citizens, veterans, elderly and infirm.

The additional and temporary increase in gas prices, if that's the worst inconvenience we have at this time, as opposed to having a terrorist state with nuclear weapons threatening our major cities and our own Capital ... well, not bad, not bad at all. God bless New Hampshire and USA.
THOMAS HARTLEY

MARK M. THORNTON
My wife and I are 80 years old. We both have had careers in medicine. We also have two sons with disabilities. Consequently, we have been very involved in the disability community, and have seen firsthand the devastation that continued under funding of services has caused. This extends beyond those ostensibly required by NH law, but also in the world of Medicaid coverage.

It is unconscionable, unethical, and immoral to base the value of an individual on their productivity. The libertarians and free-staters will fight tooth and nail to prevent abortions, but abandon the child if it is less than normal (neuro-typical).

I won't even begin my thoughts on education. We need a broad-based tax to level the responsibility of not only education, care for those who need it, but also housing and tax relief for the elderly. This responsibility comes with living in a communal environment with shared interdependence.

If the free staters and libertarians really want their unencumbered freedom, then they should move to Alaska and become like Natty Bumppo ... moving further west at the sound of the pioneer’s ax. Humbly submitted,
MARK M. THORNTON

JAMES M. CONTOIS, Claremont, NH
Taxes are necessary to run a government. This social contract between the people and those representing us requires that, to be safe and protected, we need schools, roads, police, and other institutions to manage a government of the people and by the people. The issue with taxes in NH has many prongs:

• Would I trust the current free state republican NH government to properly handle my money? NO
• NH long ago gave up the reasonable funding of local level issues. They stopped funding local police and firemen's retirement funds.
• They give vouchers to the well-off and refuse to adequately fund education.
• I believe that NH needs both a sales tax and an income tax but the systems they fund must be repaired. We can't just spend money to band-aid system problems. JAMES M. CONTOIS, Claremont

DAVID KIDD
The tax system in New Hampshire is wildly regressive; a system that hits the working class and middle class, seniors and the poor much harder than the rich. Reliance on Property Tax almost exclusively prices many working people out of home ownership and seniors to lose homes that are completely paid off. Wealthier, larger land holders benefit from Current Use laws that exempt or lower taxes on every acre over ten, foisting an even bigger burden onto smaller home owners who are, in effect, subsidizing large land holders whose property values rise much faster than their taxes and can be sold or inherited at will. Meanwhile business and dividend taxes have been cut to zero or almost zero, further aiding the wealthy at the expense of the working, middle and poor families whose property taxes (or rents which are tied to increased landlord expenses) rise to take up the slack for state services.
DAVID KIDD, Hancock, NH

REP. JESS EDWARDS, R-Auburn
Every failing government regardless of level, state or city, that focuses on taxes tends to increase them. Tax rates are killing communities around the county and world. Long term social and political success requires something unpopular, controlling or reducing spending. It's fun to spend someone else's money, making it feel free. It's bad policy to incentivize a greed-based culture. Best Regards,
Rep. JESS EDWARDS, R-Auburn

ANN FLORIO, Nottingham, NH
The 3:3 Tax Plan is brilliant and necessary and oh so doable. Can we get this on the ballot and solve our property tax burden? We need to provide funds for state projects and EDUCATION.
ANN FLORIO, Nottingham, NH

JAMES HILL
I think it was ridiculous to get rid of the dividends and interest tax at the expense of education. Those who were required to pay this tax are wealthy enough to laugh it off. Anyone who felt burdened by this tax has to be greedy. My wife and I were happy to pay it to help cities and towns afford quality public education.
JAMES HILL

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.