Did New Hampshire’s Civil Engineers Just Ask for a Sales or Income Tax?

by
Steve MacDonald

construction in NHNew Hampshire’s local coven of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE-NH) gave the state a C- on ‘infrastructure.’

The grade was determined by a team of professional engineers from across New Hampshire who assessed 12 categories of infrastructure. And they found that much of the state’s infrastructure requires investment and upgrades to keep up with its needs: Aviation (C+), Bridges (C-), Dams (C-), Drinking Water (C-), Energy (C+), Hazardous Waste (C), Ports (D+), Rail (C-), Roads (C-), Solid Waste (C+), Stormwater (D+) and Wastewater (D+).

You can read the entire report here. But the part that matters most, in my opinion, is this.

ASCE-NH noted in its report that among the ways for the state to meet its infrastructure needs, “lawmakers need to pursue consistent policies and funding sources to ensure sustained support for infrastructure and enable long-term planning.” In addition, “the state needs to pursue more locally sourced funding for infrastructure, rather than relying so heavily on federal funding and financing to supplement the state’s budget for infrastructure investment.”

Consistent funding policies and more locally sourced funding, mean more taxes. Local taxes. Like a sales or income tax that can be adjusted (always upward) to address the whims of public employees (including civil engineers).

This sounds like a pitch for broad-based taxes to me.

I agree that infrastructure matters, and not just every time I’m stuck in construction traffic. But before we jump off a new overpass into the land of broad-based taxes, couldn’t we ask our all-girl Democrat Congressional delegation to support a different solution?

Start by letting New Hampshire keep the Federal gas tax money it already collects. That would mean less reliance on federal funding, which might make these uncivil engineers more civil.

Wait. You know what’s wrong with that? The all-girl Democrat Congressional delegation will never support any action that decreases federal power, their power, over others. So while it’s the right first step, the only way that happens is if Republicans push the idea again and see how the all-girl delegation reacts.

When they balk, ask them about Obama’s Stimulus. Better yet, ask about more than $22 Trillion in Federal spending (probably more) just under Obama. Why do we have crumbling infrastructure? Where did all that money go?

And now Trump’s got his very own Trillion dollar infra-stimulus on deck, which is probably no better. But I bet the American Society of Civil Engineers support it.

 

H/T NHBR

 

Author

  • Steve MacDonald

    Steve is a long-time New Hampshire resident, blogger, and a member of the Board of directors of The 603 Alliance. He is the owner of Grok Media LLC and the Managing Editor of GraniteGrok.com, a former board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, and a past contributor to the Franklin Center for Public Policy.

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