Your chance to discuss the state's view tax/assessment

To The Daily Sun,

Do you have a view tax/assessment?

If you think you do, you may want to attend a public forum on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 5:30 p.m. at the White Mountain Regional High School, on 127 Regional Road, Whitefield, with a snow date if needed, Thursday, Feb. 6, at 5:30 p.m., same location.

This past November, a number of concerned taxpayers from the North Country drove to Manchester to attend the only scheduled Assessing Standards Board (ASB) public forum in the state to discuss views and how they are measured and assessed to you, the taxpayer. The North Country Taxpayers wanted to know “why would you have a public forum on views in the city of Manchester, which really doesn’t have many Views?” So, they requested the ASB, which is attached to the N.H. Department of Revenue Administration, to hold another public forum for the taxpayers in the North Country, where we have views; this will be held on Jan. 30, at the high school in Whitefield.

In full disclosure, I am a member of the ASB and have served on the board for the past 13 years, and anyone who knows me in the North Country knows where I stand on the “view tax”.

I encourage everyone who has questions and concerns on this subject to come to the public forum and listen to a short PowerPoint presentation put on by the ASB and Department of Revenue Administration, and then it will be opened up to listen to you, the North Country taxpayers.

My late father, Gov. Mel Thomson, reminded me years ago that, if you don’t show up and take part in the discussion on important issues such as views, then you surely will lose by default.

I hope to see my North Country friends on Jan. 30, 5:30 p.m., at the White Mountain Regional High School, at 127 Regional Road, Whitefield.

Tom Thomson

Orford

Public Member of NH Assessing Standards Board