Americans for Prosperity Lauds Massachusetts Legislature for Enhancing the New Hampshire Advantage

Americans for Prosperity – New Hampshire (AFP-NH) today congratulated the Massachusetts legislature for passing a budget that increases taxes on gasoline by 13% and that increases the tax on cigarettes by $1 per pack, or $10 per carton, as well as tax increases on some business services.  AFP-NH led efforts in the New Hampshire legislature to defeat an 83% increase in the gas and diesel tax, stop a 30 cent/pack tobacco tax hike and to allow business tax relief to go forward.  Yesterday, a new budget took effect in New Hampshire that included no new taxes, and which kept the business tax reductions in place.

“We want to commend the Massachusetts legislature for their hard work to raise taxes on their citizens, thereby giving them a greater reason to come to New Hampshire to buy their gas, cigarettes and other goods here,” said Greg Moore, State Director for AFP-NH.  “The New Hampshire Advantage exists because our neighbors like Massachusetts are more concerned with growing government than with keeping money in the wallets of the people who live there.  We salute the Massachusetts Senators and Representatives who are committed to driving more business over the border to our retailers, and we also want them to come to the Granite State, where every day is a sales tax holiday.”

AFP-NH noted that the Massachusetts budget deal, while having passed the legislature, is not complete, as Governor Deval Patrick has indicated concerns that the proposal does not increase the gas tax as much as he would prefer.