Implementing sales tax (Keene: real estate, leasing, car registration)

[Tarastomsgirl]

I've heard rumors of this trying to be done.. I think its a great idea. I think smaller towns can really benefit from it. There is a huge debate here in Keene about people wanting to get one in here. The schools are crumbling, along with the FD and our middle and highschool are looking at being closed due to failed inspections for the past 5 years, yet screaming there is no money to fix them . There are exposed electrical wires and crumbling walls, broken floors etc. The middle school is looking at loosing its acreditation next year also. I think something needs to be done to help towns out, I'm sure this isn't just an issue in Keene.
I can see how badly the city has no money, the people are taxed to their limit and still the town needs more. They won't plow the roads because of lack of funds and this was from the start of winter, it seemed like the town was surprised it snowed in NH and didn't know how to handle it. The FD and PD are badly out of date with equipt. to the point I'm surprised they can be of great assistance to the community yet both have very little money and what money they do have seem to spend it on worthless things like leasing a single charger. The roads are in such horrid conditions that its almost become a game of lets see how tight my steering is as I swerve to miss the crater in the road. None of these things should even be an issue if it weren't for the complete lack of money the city seems to have.. They need another source of income.

What do you think sales tax or no? I think the real benefit would be to add a sales tax of say 4% and cut property tax in half. At least with a sales tax you are taxed on items you choose to buy. Without one the burden of taxes is on the property owner, your home value might only go up .5% but your property tax will go up 1.5 % how fair is that? .. With a sales tax it would take the burden off the fixed income and elderly

[buck naked]

no - and it will never happen in my lifetime, I'm sure.

[DareToDream]

I don't normally get involved in these discussions, but ... Coming from NYS where there is a sales tax and where some places also add a county sales tax on top of the NYS sales tax, I would hate to see it happen in NH. Even though NYS has more taxes, it does nothing to alleviate the property tax burden. In NYS the Lottery proceeds are supposed to go to schools and were supposed to cut the school taxes (which were separate from the property tax) - it never did, the property and school taxes kept rising, as did the sales tax.

One thing our fire departments did, which I haven't seen or heard of being done on a local level up here is fundraising for the department. We do get calls from fundraisers for the New Hampshire Firefighters or something like that, but we have never been approached by our local department. I don't know if it's because in NY the FD was volunteer and this one is paid; maybe if it's a paid FD they can't hold fundraising drives locally? I dunno.

In any case, I would hate to see a sales tax for the reasons stated above. If I could be SURE that the tax raised locally would stay local and help the town, I might reconsider, but even then, I don't think I would support it, mostly from my experience in NY.

[nicolem]

Adding a sales tax will not cut property taxes in half. If any politician ever made that claim he/she would be lying. If a sales tax, income tax or additional tax were ever instituted the property tax would not decrease any significant amount. I really think there are people out there who believe the property tax would disappear or decrease significantly if NH instituted an income or sales tax. That certainly would not be the case.

Remember-Gov Lynch signed in a 17.5% budget increase and why is no one upset over this? My car registration went up, I paid a large real estate transfer tax when purchased my condo, many many other "hidden" taxes were raised by Lynch and company to pay for their 17.5% increase. We also had a toll increase and there are ramblings that they will try for more again. All this out of control spending trickles down to the town level and thus increases all of our taxes. Why is it always right away to raise taxes? What about cutting wasteful spending?

States like NJ once had no sales or income tax. They now have among the highest property taxes, state income taxes and sales taxes in the nation. A few years ago they raised their sales tax again. People who think they pay high property taxes here-they are not even close to NJ. They are still in a major deficit and are already looking at ways of raising taxes AGAIN. NJ has all three taxes and one of the highest overall tax burdens in the country. NH has only a property tax and one of the lowest overall tax burdens in the country.

We need a govenor and legislature who is serious about cutting waste (not this current Govenor Lynch and liberal dems and rhinos). We need people who are serious about having our $$ be spent in the most efficient and responsible way possible. Only after that was done and I felt it was done legitimately, then I have three suggestions for additional revenue:

1. Those college kids from out of state who attend state schools should have to pay OUT OF STATE RATES. Practically every other state in the US has two sets of rates-in state and out of state. Why don't we? If a kid is a resident of NH and his parents pay property taxes, he should be afforded the benefit of a cheaper education at a state school. If we took in more $$ from out of staters, less state aid would have to go to state schools.

2. Increase the rooms and meals tax. Again-as a last resort only if we have really cut al the waste and truly need more $$. We would capture more $$ from out of staters thus lessening the "harm" on residents.

3. What about a higher property tax rate on second homes for out of staters? Again, this would help lessen the property tax burden on NH residents.

I am for as minimal taxes as possible and I truly believe there is a lot of wasteful spending going on. With the recent 17.5% budget increase-I do not believe that NH needs anymore money. They need to learn to live within a budget like the rest of us. However, these increases that I mentioned would be a last resort and only if the $$ was truly needed-and I mean really truly needed. We need to elect a govenor and legislature who aren't afraid to look at waste and unwise spending and make unpopular decisions. That is not always the popular thing to do and few politicians have the guts to do it.

Nicolem

[flu189]

LOL, if you think taxes will improve life then head west 25 miles to Vt and come see how well it works. Instituting or adjusting an existing tax will not lower the burden from another tax source. The more revenue that local/state govts bring in will just increase their appetite for more.

[bryfry]

No way, no how. You would see a riot on a Biblical scale if it was implemented. NH would blow up. Getting a sales tax to pass is the first phase in getting an income tax to go through as well. Once in place, there is no going back. Look at Mass...even with all the taxes we have, they still cannot get their crap together. Big government, social programs up the ying yang, and towns still ask for overrides. Sorry, no can do on the sales tax.

[countrylv22]

If NH ends up with a SALES TAX

NH will lose revenue from people coming over for the FREE/NO SALES TAX

People will shop in their respective states, why bother ??.....

And PLEASE keep GOVERNMENT out of your pockets, it will only get worse

NO SALES TAX PLEASE NO INCOME TAX PLEASE!!!!

How about this for an idea, it would be GREAT if the STATE would MANAGE

the MONEY it already gets WISELY Instead of wasting it

Originally Posted by bryfry

No way, no how. You would see a riot on a Biblical scale if it was implemented. NH would blow up. Getting a sales tax to pass is the first phase in getting an income tax to go through as well. Once in place, there is no going back. Look at Mass...even with all the taxes we have, they still cannot get their crap together. Big government, social programs up the ying yang, and towns still ask for overrides. Sorry, no can do on the sales tax.

[WannaComeHome]

add a sales tax of say 4% and cut property tax in half.

Sorry, nope. No existing tax ever goes down! a new tax might be implemented, but they'll never cut an existing one - they'll just find new uses for the money, and soon they keep their hand digging deeper and deeper in our pockets.

[CometVoyager]

Originally Posted by Tarastomsgirl

I've heard rumors of this trying to be done.. I think its a great idea. I think smaller towns can really benefit from it. There is a huge debate here in Keene about people wanting to get one in here. The schools are crumbling, along with the FD and our middle and highschool are looking at being closed due to failed inspections for the past 5 years, yet screaming there is no money to fix them . There are exposed electrical wires and crumbling walls, broken floors etc. The middle school is looking at loosing its acreditation next year also. I think something needs to be done to help towns out, I'm sure this isn't just an issue in Keene.
I can see how badly the city has no money, the people are taxed to their limit and still the town needs more. They won't plow the roads because of lack of funds and this was from the start of winter, it seemed like the town was surprised it snowed in NH and didn't know how to handle it. The FD and PD are badly out of date with equipt. to the point I'm surprised they can be of great assistance to the community yet both have very little money and what money they do have seem to spend it on worthless things like leasing a single charger. The roads are in such horrid conditions that its almost become a game of lets see how tight my steering is as I swerve to miss the crater in the road. None of these things should even be an issue if it weren't for the complete lack of money the city seems to have.. They need another source of income.

What do you think sales tax or no? I think the real benefit would be to add a sales tax of say 4% and cut property tax in half. At least with a sales tax you are taxed on items you choose to buy. Without one the burden of taxes is on the property owner, your home value might only go up .5% but your property tax will go up 1.5 % how fair is that? .. With a sales tax it would take the burden off the fixed income and elderly

Once you introduce Sales Tax it would be like introducing Crab Grass to your Lawn, as it eventually keeps going up and up. New Hampshire residents have a good thing going now with a voluntary elected legislature and other patriot run services. This state does have more than enough to pay for basic services like police, fire, roads, & Schools etc. But once you implement Sales tax you will attract every Euro-Socialist on the planet as well as more welfare programs. I am totally against it.

[dognh]

NO SALES TAX!

If you think a sales tax is gonna lower your property taxes, you've living in a dream world. Taxes only go up, never down, which is why we need to keep them off the books in the first place.

Instead of implementing a sales tax to cut property taxes in half, why don't we just cut property taxes in half?