Going up: 38 hikes for NH taxpayers

Dan Touhy writes up the Josiah Bartlett Center's latest report, "A Rising Tide of Taxes and Fees", in this morning's Union Leader:

When he signed it into law, Gov. John Lynch called the budget "a responsible, balanced budget" that funds essential services without burdening residents with a new, major tax. The budget includes layoffs of about 200 state employees and calls on $25 million in additional personnel reductions.

The report by the Josiah Bartlett Center, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, also covers three fees involved with legislation this year, including a $200 increase for non-resident commercial saltwater licenses.

"The distinction between a tax, a fee, and a charge is blurry and probably of little importance to the one paying," Arlinghaus writes.

In total, the Legislature has already created or increased 38 separate taxes or fees, costing more than $300 million.