To some, taxes are a means to an end, representing the bills that are due for services ranging from the judicial system to environmental protections, or, in Oliver Wendell Holmes’ formulation, “the price we pay for a civilized society.” To others, taxes are a policy end unto themselves, as they offer policymakers another tool to try to employ in efforts to enhance economic security or to promote economic development.
NHFPI seeks to improve public understanding of New Hampshire’s tax system, its role in financing state expenditures, the impact it has on families and individuals at different income levels, and the influence it may or may not have upon personal and business decisions.
Latest State Tax Publications
- Testimony Regarding BET and Tipped Wages May 14, 2013I am here today to voice opposition to Amendment 2013-1668s, which seeks to reduce the taxes owed by businesses that employ wait staff and other workers that receive some of their pay in the form of tips. As proposed, the amendment would make the struggle to finance public services vital to New Hampshire’s economic ...
- New Hampshire’s Tax System Asks Far Less of the Wealthy Than of the Poor January 30, 2013With many in the Granite State still struggling to recover from the 2007-2009 national recession, the full range of public policies across New Hampshire should seek to remove existing barriers to economic security. Yet, one key set of policies – New Hampshire’s state and local tax system – pushes in the opposite direction. It ...
- Supermajority Requirement to Increase Taxes at Odds with Sound Fiscal Policy January 22, 2013The New Hampshire House Ways and Means Committee is taking up a constitutional amendment that’s identical to one voted down by the House last year — it would require a supermajority of both the House and Senate to add or increase any tax or fee. NHFPI Executive Director Jeff McLynch will be there to tell ...
- Exempting Internet Access from Taxation Would Increase Fiscal Stress April 25, 2012A proposal before lawmakers to exempt Internet access from New Hampshire’s Communications Services Tax could reduce state revenue by as much as $12 million annually. Like the tobacco tax cut, this reduction was never accounted for in the state budget. As NHFPI’s latest Issue Brief explains, the proposal would therefore add to the fiscal stress ...
- Testimony Regarding Constitutional Amendment CACR13 April 11, 2012A proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit any new tax on a person’s income all but guarantees lengthy court battles over state tax policy, according to NHFPI Executive Director Jeff McLynch, who testified against CACR 13 before the Senate Internal Affairs Committee on Wednesday, April 4. McLynch also presented an analysis written by University of New Hampshire ...
