'Schrödinger's Tax:' NH House Democrats Vote Both For And Against An Income Tax

By Leonard Robinson, NH Journal

New Hampshire Democrats continue to struggle with how to handle enacting a state income tax. Polls show it’s wildly unpopular among Granite State voters, but it also has strong support in the party’s progressive base.

That conflict was on clear display Thursday when House Democrats voted down a constitutional amendment allowing the creation of a progressive income tax, then voted against a ban on future income taxes, all within a space of five minutes.

“It’s ‘Schrödinger’s Tax,’” one Republican joked. “Democrats support and oppose it at the same time.”

The full House was voting on CACR 12, which would amend the state constitution to prohibit any taxes on personal income. Progressive Rep. Thomas Oppel (D-Canaan) offered an amendment to the legislation, turning it into a reversal of the current constitutional ban on progressive income taxes.

House Minority Leader Alexis Simpson rushed to the microphone to distance her party from Oppel’s legislation. “To clarify, one Democrat brought forward this amendment,” she told the House. “The bottom line is that Granite Staters do not want an income tax. Period.”

The amendment was voted down by a massive 322-16 margin. (Republican Rep. John Schneller of Bedford inadvertently hit “yes,” but had his vote corrected by the House Clerk.)

The list of 16 Democrats who voted for the progressive income tax is here.

“I guess I should be proud that I brought both parties together,” Oppel quipped.

Then the original constitutional amendment to ban income taxes was brought up and, despite the Democrats’ “no income tax” rhetoric, all but four Democrats voted against it. Among the four was newly-elected North Country Rep. Bobbi Boudman (D-Wolfeboro).

The 193-148 margin wasn’t enough to meet the 3/5ths majority (60 percent) required to pass a constitutional amendment.

Republicans in Concord wasted no time going on the attack.

“Democrats know Granite Staters overwhelmingly oppose an income tax. Yet they are still doing everything they can to roll out the red carpet for their party’s $1 billion income tax,” said Rep. John Janigan, the Salem Republican who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. “The message from Democrats could not be more clear: they do not care about you. They only care about taking your money.”

In his remarks, Oppel noted that his amendment didn’t enact an income tax; it merely changed the state’s constitution to allow future legislatures to pass a graduated income tax.

“In other words, those who earn more would pay more,” Oppel said. “The only beneficiaries of the so-called ‘New Hampshire Advantage’ are the wealthy and well-connected.”

Republicans pushed back. Rep. Joe Sweeney (R-Salem) called Oppel’s legislation a “radical amendment to our constitution.”

House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) told the chamber, “There are no more excuses left. It’s our responsibility to give the voters the opportunity to say no to an income tax — not now, not ever.”

Osborne also quoted John Stark, of “Live Free or Die” fame, noting that the Revolutionary War general said, “Death is not the worst of evils.”

“But,” Osborne added, “an income tax just might be.”

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.