Hold the Budget

The Union Leader takes aim this morning not at the substance of the state budget, but at the fact that so much of it was rushed through in darkness, without public hearings, notices, input, or deliberation:

People affected by substantial changes in government policy deserve a chance to speak out about those changes before they are made. Last week, as budget negotiators debated the details of numerous tax proposals, they refused to allow the public to see some of those details.

For instance, a proposal to apply the state's interest and dividends tax to partners in limited liability companies would tax those business owners to the tune of about $15 million, according to the Department of Revenue Administration. But when the Business and Industry Association asked for the language to see precisely how the tax would be applied and to whom, the request denied. Thus, the state's largest business lobby was unable to take a position on a proposal that could affect more than 10,000 businesses in New Hampshire.