Here is my comment:
I perhaps should not be saying this, since I am a state rep posting under his full name--- but the best solution to the revenue crisis would be an income tax based on the numbers on the federal 1040 form which most of us file anyway.
An antitax witness accidentally divulged a piece of data which suports this pro-income tax position. 16% of NH's workforce--- 1 in 6--- already pays state income tax.
That probably translates to more than 1 family in 6, since most people live in family groups including parents and children (and oftentimes grandparents and grandchildren) who don't all work at the same place. But in any case, at least 1 Granite State family in 6 pays our obscenely high property taxes and our pretty high sales taxes and our businesses taxes--- AND some other state's income tax. Why do they choose to do such a thing? Because avoiding taxes is not the be-all and end-all of life. Even with the property tax, it is still worthwhile to live in NH. Even with the income tax, it is still worthwhile to get up every morning and go to work in Massachusetts (or some other state.)
- Timothy Horrigan, Durham, NH
This is a fairly mild pro-tax comment, I think. But some of the responses were far from mild. None of them gave their full names. The first one was a regular commenter, Spike from Brentwood:
Rep. Horrigan curiously doesn't disclose his party affiliation (Democrat; with a "D" grade from the NH Liberty Alliance). And his pro-income-tax arguments are familiar: (1) You'll hardly notice it; and (2) It won't be the worst thing that ever happens to you. Perhaps paying it won't be. Perhaps the harassment from the extra coat-holders you will put on salary in the hack-dom will be. What additional aspects of my life could you dictate with a thousand extra bureaucrats?
No indeed, in life, avoiding taxes isn't everything. But, in dealings with the thieves from the Legislature, it's the only thing.
- Spike, Brentwood NH
(I am a dues-paying member of the NH Liberty Alliance, although the dues are onlty $20/yr. I was the only Democrat rep aside from the maverick Joel Winters to show up at their annual dinner this summer. My D rating is about average for Democrats. My Reagan Republican ranking is 24%, which makes me a relatively conservative member of the Majority Democratic caucus.)
David from Manchester had a somewhat more intelligent response:
NH residents work in income-tax states because that is where the work is. I myself worked in MA for 15 years and I hated having to fill out MA's Form 1-NR. When I was able to get a job in NH it felt like an instant $1,300 per year pay increase.
NH residents who work out of state and commute 2 to 5 hours each day do so because:
- many industries out of state pay better than those in NH
- they are afraid to even risk changing jobs in this economy
- they need the health benefits for their families
- MA unemployment benefits are far superior to NH's unemployment benefits
By law, one cannot pay the same tax more than once. NH residents working out of state would pay a NH income tax first, then pay the difference to the other state. They would pay the same amount of income tax, except now split between 2 states. Where is the savings for them?
To suggest that since 1 in 6 NH residents already pays out-of-state income tax, NH should have its own income tax to capture that money is preposterous and a disservice to NH.
- David R, Manchester
(Interesting, however, that he doesn't view redirecting some of Massachusetts' current tax revenue stream to our own state as a desirable outcome.)
One of my constituents on the other hand, misconstrued what I had to say, and overlooked the fact that I implied that the income tax was not as bad as the alternatives:
As my Rep, there is no tax that the radical Rep Horrigan doesn't like.
- Charles, Durham, NH
I don't know who he is. There can't be that many registered Republicans named Charles in town, but there may be more than one of them left. And in fact he didn't actually say he was a registered Republican..
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