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Republicans HATE taxes! REALLY?

By Sherry Dutzy - Nashua | Oct 31, 2020

The constant mantra from NHGOP is that EVERY increase in a fee or government service is labeled a tax. So, a 50 cent-a-year increase for a dog license gets labeled a tax. In fact, any proposal by the Democrats to create fair ways to support government services is a tax according to our friends across the aisle.

But here’s the catch; it’s only a tax if the Democrats propose it. If NHGOP can sneak in a tax without citizens knowing, then that’s OK. For example, Nashua just learned that it will be paying $4 MILLION more this year (now $30M a year) to the State of NH to fund the State Retirement System. Oh surprise! This sounds like a tax to me! And a big one at that. Years ago, the state cajoled cities and towns into joining the State Retirement System with a promise that it would pay its fair share. That “fair share” has eroded significantly over the years and is what is known as “downshifting” since the expense doesn’t disappear just because the state no longer wants to pay. In this scenario, the Governor takes credit for “keeping taxes low” – no income or sales tax for NH – but downshifts the costs to cities and towns. And who picks up the tab for the $4M and other downshifting of expenses that occur all the time? It’s you, me and every property owner in the state

The same thing happens with education funding. The State of NH pays around $3,600 a year for each child in public school. This is what the state defines as the cost of an “adequate education”. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on the other hand, kicks in about $15,000 per pupil for an adequate education. Although there is not total agreement on the definition of an adequate education and the cost, a recent study suggested that for NH it is over $13,000 per student. So, guess who pays the difference? Every property owner in the state. But there’s more. Landowners in property rich towns end up paying less to provide an excellent education for their children, while those in property poor towns pay more but can provide fewer educational opportunities. And the inequities continue since young families moving into the state want to live in cities and towns that offer a quality education for their children. Rich towns get richer, poor towns get poorer.

So, the next time you hear the familiar mantra from NHGOP, look a little closer. And check out what they do, not what they say.

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