Innis: NH Needs Long-Term Budget Strategy

RYE, NH — Politicians are constantly talking about government spending and taxes. Statements like, “New Hampshire has a spending problem” are cute, simplistic, and make for good campaign mailers, but we need more than political sound bites. We need solutions.

New Hampshire does have a spending problem. New Hampshire also has a major tax problem. We have some of the highest business taxes in New England – even higher than Massachusetts. We have lost that competitive edge that used to attract businesses to relocate here. In the last session, the Republican led House and Senate passed a long overdue business tax cut, and despite the nightmare premonitions from liberal Democrats like my opponent, we saw more economic activity and business tax revenues increased. We need to stay on that course to regain that competitive edge so we can attract more high paying jobs to our state. Not only will this help our state’s bottom line, but it will also help address one of the other major issues facing our state, which is the outmigration of our youth who leave in search of better career choices.

What Concord needs is a long-term strategic plan for both revenues and expenses that will ensure that our money is being used wisely and appropriately. Successful business owners develop long-term strategic plans when it comes to budgeting, just as working families develop long-term plans to pay for college, retirement or even a new car or family vacation. Yet, our state government too often practices economic short-termism and takes us to the brink of an income or sales tax. New Hampshire’s budget is complex and it must cover a wide range of services from roads and bridges to education to drug abuse and addiction. Some of these needs are predictable like the lifespan of a bridge, a highway, or a building. Some things like the current opioid epidemic are difficult or impossible to predict, but over the past several budget cycles, state spending has increased at a rate exceeding income growth and inflation. This is unsustainable, and dangerous.

Every time a new budget is discussed, there are things that politicians think need to be done, things that they want done, and there are real needs that must be met. As the discussions continue, some things are added to the budget, some are not, and many compromises are reached. Compromise is sometimes a nasty word in government, but good planning can help to ensure that compromises are based on data, long-term thinking, and the projected needs of our state and its citizens, and not political gamesmanship.

We all want government to be accountable, to spend our money wisely, and to invest in the future of our state. We must demand that lawmakers think about the long-term future when it comes to taxes and spending. It is irresponsible to allow government spending to grow faster than inflation and faster than our paychecks every single year. Clearly such a scenario is a recipe for disaster.Throughout my career I have engaged in strategic planning and strategic thinking and I have been responsible for multi-million dollar budgets. Through my work managing a $30 million annual budget at UNH (leaving behind a surplus each year) and building two successful hotels on the Seacoast that created jobs and tax revenue for the state, I have engaged in long-term thinking and I have built and implemented plans that work. I will bring that experience and perspective to budget planning in Concord.

As a member of the New Hampshire Senate, I will commit to my constituents, and to the state, that I will work to ensure that we start thinking strategically and over the long-term in Concord. It is our duty to use your dollars wisely and to curtail the growth of government. I am firmly committed to both.

Dan Innis, R-New Castle, is running for state Senate District 24.