He doesn't want the rooms-and-meals tax extending to campgrounds. And he doesn't like the way it was done, either, saying it was pushed through under the cover of darkness. He smells a cat burglar sneaking into the House - and Senate - while many slept.
But at least Bradley has a sense of humor about it. For now.
"So now on that piece of dirt, you went from zero to 9 percent," said Bradley, 61, who's made camping an integral part of his life. "That's a new tax, to use my dirt. You bring your room, you bring your meals, and then we tax you."
Bradley says he never saw the new tax coming:
But camping had never been part of the equation. Then the WMUR reporter announced the amendment, well after 11 p.m., when, no doubt, many in the camping community slept. Bradley, though, was awake, involved in his own personal nightmare.
"I said to my wife, 'Mother of God,' " Bradley said. "I was just completely blindsided, shocked. I immediately sent e-mails to our president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and executive director so they would see them first thing in the morning in case they weren't watching the news."
One of the lawmakers up late that night was Rep. Dan Eaton, the majority floor leader and a Democrat from Stoddard. He backed the amendment and tells a different story. He says everything was on the table, and everybody should have been prepared.
"I'm not sure I think there is complete lack of notice," Eaton said. "I think that had been open for discussion for several days."
The DRA Commissioner floats 11 new tax ideas on Monday, and you end up with a 9% tax increase on Thursday. Plenty of notice, according to Rep. Eaton.
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