I was fortunate enough to be born and raised in Laconia. Farm System and Little League baseball and swimming at the Opechee cove beach out to the little and big rafts. Gilford Ave School, Bowman Street, Bachelor St and then the High School for both Jr and Sr High. Boy Scouts at the Congregational Church and newspaper routes when there were 4 morning papers (Record, Herald, Globe and Union).
Along the way I was ingrained with a sense that we were all One Community. Now here I am in my 75th year frustrated by the fact that there seem to be 3 competing groups. Those who have theirs and don't feel a need to share, those that have and believe that they are fortunate beyond what they NEED and are happy to share, and those who are truly needy.
The state continues to attract those in the first category with a system of taxation that allows them to protect their assets. It is no wonder that we are a haven for retirees seeking shelter from taxation. The dependence on property tax is at the root of much of the disparity.
Yesterday I listened as the Governor explained that budget revenue shortfalls could by made up through cigarette and liquor taxes and real estate transfers. That's not my idea of the way to build a fair and replicable stream that taxes in some regard to the ability to pay.
I wish I had answers but I sure know we could use more compassionate dialog.
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To the three groups you mention in NH, I would add a third group: those that want to build their wealth by taking advantage of those that need help. They do this by opposing any taxes or fees that go to social services. They also do this by providing jobs with wages that you can't live on and jobs without any benefits.
While I do think property taxes are extremely regressive, I think the real problem goes much deeper and reflects each person's outlook towards life.
Some people see themselves part of a universal, interdependent "matrix" others see life as a "zero-sum" game in which there are winners and losers. Ironically, Texas was a good example of the latter. It will be interesting to see if Texas will move toward a more interdependent model.
Concur and still think that the basic tax structure in NH makes us a haven for the zero-sum folks you mention.
Today, the Sun published my opinion piece on just one aspect of the property tax, its effect on the rental market for housing. Of course, property taxes affect every segment of the housing market in NH. But as pointed out in the original post in this thread, it has distributive effects. High property tax rates contribute to the segregation of NH's towns into lower income-high property tax rate towns and higher income-low property tax rate towns. And because spending on public education follows that pattern education outcomes are predictable. NH's reliance on property taxes institutionalizes income, housing, and educational disparities.
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