Tax Reform for the 21st Century
Whatever our differences, we all agree on doing together certain things that keep our state strong, things families and towns can't do on their own. Our state budget is our agreement about what is most important and how to pay for it.
When it comes to where our tax dollars go, we look hard at everything, every year. But our tax system--where those tax dollars come from--hasn't been looked at seriously in decades. It doesn't work anymore. We review expenditures every year. It's time to take a fresh look at revenues.
In colonial times, our system worked well. But not anymore. Our property tax rates are way too high, the third-highest in the nation. Even without raising the funds we need to keep our state moving forward, they just keep going up.
And the pledge? It's just a pledge to keep raising property taxes, and to ignore the ingenuity of the people of New Hampshire to find better solutions.
We can fix this. We can take a balanced approach to budget reform that ensures all our programs are up-to-date and efficient. And paid for. And we can lower property taxes, too.
The first step is to take a fresh look at our revenue system. Put all the options on the table. Face the facts. Have the debate. We can find a solution that will work for everyone. We can build a modern budget system that will keep New Hampshire moving in the twenty-first century and maintain the foundations of our prosperity for generations to come.
READ OUR NEWSLETTER
Read GSFTC's "Lens", questions based in criteria established by economic experts that should be asked about any revenue source, current or proposed.