Mass. Politician joins NH Economic Recovery Coalition

See, this is the dedication to the Granite State economy we've come to expect from our neighbors.

A Westport lawmaker who voted to hike the state sales and alcohol taxes was spotted brazenly piling booze in his car - adorned with his State House license plate - in the parking lot of a tax-free New Hampshire liquor store, the Herald has learned.

Michael J. Rodrigues’ blue Ford Crown Victoria, emblazoned with his “House 29” Massachusetts license plate, was parked outside a Granite State liquor store on Interstate-95 South over the weekend, according to a witness who provided pictures to the Herald.

Way to go Representative Rodrigues! And hats off the the Boston Herald for alerting us to the hard work lawmakers in other states are doing to ensure New Hampshire's economic recovery.

Hattip: Union Leader

New Hampshire remains tax free to Bay State shoppers

Great news for southern New Hampshire retailers and Massachusetts shoppers, as the Boston Herald reports that the state Supreme Court rules against automatically collecting sales taxes on goods bought out of state.

A ruling by the state’s highest court today means that tax-free New Hampshire will remain tax free – even for Massachusetts residents.

In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Judicial Court found that the state Department of Revenue had no right to collect a “use” tax – in lieu of a direct sales tax – on purchases of tires made at a New Hampshire store, but by people whose case were registered in Massachusetts.

Writing for the court, Chief Justice Margaret Marshall said, “There is no Massachusetts statutory presumption of use in the Commonwealth, where personal property is sold to a Massachusetts resident outside the commonwealth, even where the goods purchased out of state may be affixed to property registered in Massachusetts.

Mass. Candidate fights NH Economic Recovery Coalition

Gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos is bucking efforts by the Massachusetts Legislature to boost the New Hampshire economy:

Mihos’ campaign has mounted a hidden camera just over the border on Route 28 in Salem, N.H., that will feed live video to his Web site starting today to show how many Massachusetts shoppers are taking their business north.

“Deval Patrick is a good governor - for New Hampshire,” Mihos cracked. “We’re just trying to show how bad tax policy hurts the region and the state. We’re inhibiting economic growth on the border by giving a direct competitor a 6.25 percent advantage. Who in business would do that?” (more)

Interesting. Most of the cries south of our border have been complainging about New Hampshire's lower taxes, or attempts to collect taxes on New Hampshire purchases. Mihos actually thinks his state should try to complete with the Granite State? If he keeps this up, he'll never get any support in Salem or Nashua.

Boston Herald- "N.H. eyes big payday from our tax hike"

I missed this over the weekend, but Charlie points me to a story in the Boston Herald about Massachusetts border towns bearing the brunt of their legislature's tax hikes:

Bay State border towns, bruised by a brutal recession and drastic cuts to local aid, are bracing for a shoppers’ exodus into tax-free New Hampshire if legislative efforts to raise the sales tax by 25 percent prevail in coming weeks.

“We are already feeling the disadvantage we have today,” said Methuen Mayor William M. Manzi III. “We think the increase makes it substantially worse. We’ve seen a major flight of jobs and business investment into Salem, N.H. This is not good for Methuen.”

House and Senate lawmakers have passed separate proposals with veto-proof margins to hike the sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent to help balance the state budget. House budget writers estimate the hike will generate $900 million next fiscal year, including $205 million for local aid.

It's good to see Massachusetts joining Vermont in the New Hampshire Economic Recovery Coalition. What can we do to get the New Hampshire legislature on board?