New Hampshire Budget Surplus?
This is the first I’ve heard that we have a surplus. New Hampshire’s budget surplus has grown to $63 million, thanks to the receipt of some additional business taxes. Colin Manning, spokesman for Gov. John Lynch, said Wednesday that business taxes filed late bumped up the $25 million surplus announced three weeks ago. The surplus [...]
Governor John Lynch’s Budget
It looks like he’s doing a significant amount of cutting but he’s also raising taxes and I don’t agree with that part of it. And, frankly, I think he got himself and our state into this mess to a larger degree than it should have been by inflating the last budget up so high. And [...]
Don’t Raise Taxes or Fees! Cut the Spending!
Excellent editorial from Matt Murphy about Concord’s spending addiction: Now is not the time for New Hampshire taxpayers to make a choice about which new “revenue stream” they want. Rather, it is the time for New Hampshire lawmakers and Gov. John Lynch to spend less of the taxpayers’ money and reduce the burden felt by [...]
Work Force Housing Law in New Hampshire
Is it me or does New Hampshire’s “work force housing law” passed last year seem downright obnoxious? With the state’s new work-force housing law taking effect in July, some towns are pushing ahead to meet the new requirements. But some towns just won’t have it all figured out. The law says towns must provide the [...]
A False Choice: Gambling or Taxes
An op ed piece in the Concord Monitor suggest that if you don’t support gambling them you must want more taxes. Soon the Legislature and the residents of New Hampshire will be faced with a choice: cut existing programs in health and human services, the environment, mental health, corrections, safety, education and on and on, [...]
Governor Lynch and State Worker Pay Raises
A pay freeze makese sense to me. Yes it sucks for workers but welcome to reality. It seems no one wants a pay freeze. Gov. John Lynch is at loggerheads with legislative leaders over his push to freeze pay for nonunion state employees. Meanwhile, despite extensive talks with Lynch, the union that represents most state [...]
Slots and Expanded Gambling for Rockingham Park?
Good article in today’s Concord Monitor. A Las Vegas-based casino operator is prepared to spend nearly a half billion dollars to bring slot machines to Rockingham Park in Salem. Millennium Gaming, which has held an option to buy Rockingham Park since 2005, says slot machines would transform the racetrack into a gambling and entertainment mecca [...]
More Rumblings About A New Hampshire Gas Tax Increase
Lynch is as shrewd as always. He’s leaving the option to raise the gas tax open. Lawmakers from both parties say the state needs to increase its gasoline tax to keep highways maintained, but Gov. John Lynch is not convinced of that yet. Lynch said this week he hasn’t changed his stance against a gas [...]
Tax Revolt in New Hampshire? Taxes Going Up or Down?
Well there are two contradictory stories in today’s Union Leader. One focuses on talk of a tax revolt happening in New Hampshire and the other talks of politicians in Concord salivating over possible new taxes on everything under the sun. From the tax revolt article: Hard times are spurring tax revolts in New Hampshire. Ed [...]
The Effect of the Auto Industry Bailout On New Hampshire?
NPR has a report about the possible effect of a bailout or lack thereof on jobs in New Hampshire’s auto industry. Take it as you will as it comes from NPR. My own feeling is that I would hate to see anybody lose their job but the detroit based automakers MUST restructure drastically or any [...]
