Granite State Democrats talking up a return of an income tax to fund new state education spending are getting shot down by the two Republicans running for governor.
On Monday, NHJournal reported on calls from Democrats like state Sen. Cindy Rosenwald (D-Nashua) and Rep. Rosemarie Rung (D-Merrimack) to bring back a tax on interest and dividend income slated to be phased out by the end of next year. Democrats say the income tax revenue is needed to cover more than $500 million in state K-12 school spending mandated by a recent court ruling.
On Tuesday, former state Senate President Chuck Morse released a statement calling the Democrats’ idea a “clear and present danger” to the New Hampshire Advantage.
“I’ve stopped the Democrats’ income tax schemes before, and I will do so again as your next governor,” Morse said. “Make no mistake, if Democrats gain control of the Corner Office and the legislature in 2024, they will impose an income tax on Granite State families,” said Chuck Morse.
“It’s a clear and present danger to the fiscal freedom we cherish in our state. An income tax would burden our hard-working citizens, stifle economic growth, and jeopardize our status as one of the few states with no broad-based income tax.”
Morse’s opponent in the GOP gubernatorial primary, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, also opposes the Democrats’ approach.
“We are one election away from the Democrats implementing an income tax and turning our great state into Massachusetts,” Ayotte said. “We need a tough conservative in the Corner Office who can win this race and beat back the left’s foolish plans to increase taxes on working families and small businesses. As governor, I will never allow the Democrats to increase taxes or impose an income tax.”
And what do the two Democrats running for governor, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, think? Both refused to respond to multiple requests for comment. However, Warmington has previously made her support for higher state spending on K-12 education clear, along with her opposition to any form of school choice that includes private or home school. In fact, Warmington calls expanded charter school access and the Education Freedom Account program “nothing less than an evisceration of public schools.”
Interestingly, both of Warmington’s children attended the elite Tilton School for secondary education, an independent boarding and preparatory school in New Hampshire. Tilton charges $38,500 for day school and nearly $67,000 for boarding school.
Both Craig and Warmington have previously called for increased state K-12 education spending, even as state per-pupil funding hit a record high in the current budget.
“I will stand resolutely against any attempt to impose an income tax on our state, and I will continue to advocate for policies that promote economic growth and individual liberty,” Morse said.
