PROPERTY TAXES

New Hampshire has some of the highest property taxes in the country. Property owners — residential and business — deserve predictable and equitable tax structures that don’t fund State-level tax giveaways.

Did you know…

• … that, adjusted for inflation, our property taxes in NH have gone up an average of 58% since 1999*?

• …that implementing the NH GOP’s “low tax” agenda has in fact raised our property taxes?

When Republican candidates for the State House run on a promise to “Cut taxes!” they are not talking about your local property taxes. They are talking about cuts to state taxes—more specifically, the Business Profits Tax (BPT) and the Business Enterprise Tax (BET). Under Republican control, the rates of both have been reduced several times over the last few years, with more reductions planned in the future. Of course, reducing these taxes also reduces the revenue coming into the state coffers.

When they reduce revenues in Concord, owners of property — residential and commercial — pay more in property taxes. This is called “downshifting.” Programs like the GOP’s grossly underfunded school voucher program has downshifted funding shortfalls onto property tax payers.

In his role on the Ways and Means Committee, State Rep. Dennis Malloy has led the fight to protect us from downshifting. In addition, Reps. Malloy, Grote, and State Senate candidate Debra Altschiller helped fight rising property tax rates by bringing revenue sharing to our communities.

This session, Democrats in Concord passed legislation making the State take back responsibility for 7.5% of pension costs it tried to downshift to cities and towns. State House Democrats need your vote to make this permanent.

*according to Mark Fernald in the Aug 3, 2018, edition of NH Business Review