Washburn: Feltes' Latest Rant Overloaded on Kool-Aid

By Robert C. Washburn

It would appear from state Sen. Dan Feltes, D-Concord, latest MY TURN Concord Monitor column that he has overloaded on Gov. Maggie Hassan’s budgetary Kool-Aid.

The budget Hassan vetoed contained a 75 percent increase in state funding to address the heroin epidemic and at the same time Hassan lost track of a $12 million grant to combat substance abuse. Worse yet, the continuing resolution contains no authority for Health and Human Services to effect line item budget changes for different personnel costs which happens due to overtime and permanent and temporary classifications.

His most offending comment was “closing a loophole in our business tax code.”

Pssst, Senator, there is no loophole. The current reasonable compensation clause is there because the New Hampshire Dept. of Revenue Administration (DRA) jackbooted and heavy handed auditors were extorting millions of dollars from small business owners knowing full well that the small business owners could not afford to appeal through the court system ultimately appealing to the New Hampshire Supreme.

The current law is a fair law and if DRA takes exception to the compensation they have an orderly process to challenge.

Robert C. Washburn is a former Concord City Councilor and certified public accountant.