The Battle is on against the new local sales tax against dining out and lodging…
As of today, the State is facing a $300 Million dollar deficit, based primarily on Democrat leadership predicting business tax revenue would go up in this economy…
Our issue today is the Democrat plan on how the State is planning on closing the gap, as effectively, they already spent the money and now need to find a way to replenish the coffers.
The Senate and House each have their own plans and this week they will come together and try to find a compromise in what is called a Committee of Conference. There are a bunch of new proposed taxes on the table, including a Capital Gains Tax (yea, this is 3rd or 4th time this year on this one), Death Tax, new Electric Use tax, Pet Shop owner tax, more taxes on Tobacco products and more. Additionally they are looking to take out a 20 year mortgage to pay for current year operating expenses.
The real issue is the implementation of a Local Sales tax on food and lodging. Basically the current leadership has decided to withhold revenue sharing money from all the State’s local communities, to balance their books. But in return, they plan to allow local towns to institute a local sales tax against anyone who dines out, stays at a hotel or rents a car. Think about the effects this will have if Hanover institutes the tax, but Lebanon does not. If Portsmouth, Concord, Keene and Laconia do, but New Castle, Loudon, Swanzey and Alton don’t. I don’t believe our State residents ever envisioned confronting our neighbors economically. We are supposed to work together to compete against Mass or Maine for customers, not each other…
This tax will allow any single town or city to enact an unlimited rate new level of taxation on everyone who goes out to eat. How many people want to pay a 20%, 30% or 50% higher tax on food or drinks… how many tourists will we lose when they hear of the new taxes… If we are working on coming out of this recession, we need to expand the economic base, not retract it. Remember, today New Hampshire’s food and lodging tax is almost 30% higher than Mass or Maine, without any new local tax.
Please take a couple of minutes and help kill this disastrous new level of taxation.
Below are links to the email addresses and phone numbers of the Governor and 14 Senators and all House members who have the complete power to institute this new tax. Most New Hampshire residents would be very appreciative if you each took a few minutes to send an email or phone call and express your wish to see this new tax (and any other taxes you feel may be anti business or economically challenging….) stopped.
We noticed that Senators such as the wealthy Harold Janeway voted FOR every single one of the 68 new taxes and fees the state has passed since he has gained office. If you are in his distrcct, tell Senator Janeway he has to stop raising taxes against all of us working families, small business owner and taxpayers.
Governor John Lynch 271-2121 Tell Gov Lynch No Local Sales Tax!
Senator Sylvia Larson (H) (603)225-6130 sylvia.larsen@leg.state.nh.us
Senator Lou D’Allasandro (H) (603)669-3494 dalas@leg.state.nh.us
Senator Harold Janeway (O) (603)271-7585 harold.janeway@leg.state.nh.us
Senator Kathleen Sgambati (H) (603)286-8931 kathleen.sgambati@leg.state.nh.us
Senator Deborah Reynolds (H) (603)536-5553 deb.reynolds@leg.state.nh.us
Senator Margaret Hassan (H) (603)772-4187 maggie.hassan@leg.state.nh.us
Senator John Gallus (H) (603)752-1066 john.gallus@leg.state.nh.us
Senator Bob Odell (H) (603)863-9797 bob.odell@leg.state.nh.us
House Rep Marjorie Smith marjorie.smith@leg.state.nh.us
House Rep Dan Eaton daniel.eaton@leg.state.nh.us
House Rep Sharon Nordgren sharon.nordgren@valley.net
House Rep Linda Foster linda.foster@leg.state.nh.us
House Rep Robert Foose rfoose@tds.net
House Rep Neal Kurk neal.kurk@leg.state.nh.us
House Rep Doug Scamman doug.scamman@leg.state.nh.us