GraniteGrok

The following is a guest post by Jack Kimball... 

Democratic Representative Susan Almy, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, says in a press release that the goal of the summit will be “to solicit opinions and information on how well the state’s revenue structure fits the state economy.” I address the following comments directly to her…

Tax Summit my foot! Let’s set the record straight. What is going on in Concord this week is an effort to jam a broad based tax down the throats of all NH Citizens. Well, Susan, I’ve got a news flash for you: The State’s revenue does not fit the state economy. Why? Simple- it’s because you and the rest of your fellow Democratic Legislators have spent our state into financial ruin. You see, we don’t have a revenue problem in New Hampshire. We have a SPENDING problem. You don’t need a summit to see this. And, by the way, it’s also the same problem we currently have in Washington D.C.

My aim, Representative Almy, is to work hard to help every citizen here in the Granite State understand that your efforts to rationalize the need for a broad based tax is purely agenda driven. After all, is this not what you and the rest of your counterparts have been working so hard to achieve during these last several years you have been in control of the state? You and your ilk have set us up for a broad-based tax. There can be no other reason for an increase in spending in the last budgetary period of 17.5%, along with 28 new fees and taxes and an additional 10.5% increase in the overall budget for present spending period. On top of that, you also added another 38 new taxes and fees during this budgetary period.

Of course, you’ve done all this while our country is in the worst recession since the Great Depression. Worse still, many of these new fees and taxes are directed at small businesses that are already overburdened as it is. Clearly, the New Hampshire Advantage is in jeopardy without considering any further taxes of any kind. However, your intent to levy an income tax and/or a sales tax will be the final nail in the coffin for our great state. You will literally kill hundreds of Granite State businesses that will cause our unemployment rate to increase exponentially. In addition, you will stop future businesses from locating to our state.

And what are we to make of the national groups you have invited to participate in this seminar? While ordinary citizens can do no more than helplessly stand by and watch, others with little known attachment to our state get a chance to speak to the issue of how we need to be taxed. One such group is the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP). This bunch is funded by Tides Foundation which, in turn, is funded by George Soros. Are you kidding?

It is time for every citizen of New Hampshire to take a stand against you, Representative Almy, and the state government that has, under your watch, grown out of control. Sadly, it is becoming little more than a microcosm of Washington D.C. It is time to say ENOUGH and make the commitment to remove you and the rest of the spend and tax crowd from office in 2010. We want our state back and we will not be deterred from achieving that goal.

Portsmouth businessman Jack Kimball is currently exploring a potential bid for the Republican nomination for Governor.