When InDepthNH.org asked for your thoughts and opinions on New Hampshire taxes recently, you responded with more than 50 well-reasoned concerns and ideas along with some very sad stories about considering leaving New Hampshire because you can’t afford your skyrocketing property taxes.
Thank you all and I still have some more of your opinions that I will publish soon. At InDepthNH.org, we decided to keep this very important conversation going so we invited some experts on the topic for an online talk about New Hampshire taxes – Phil Sletten, Research director of the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute, and our own State House bureau chief Garry Rayno, who has been covering the issue for four decades.
Please join us online Tuesday June 9 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for this free event.
Get your free tickets here: https://tinyurl.com/p32yurbu
We always save time for your questions during our online conversations with our readers, which we save on our YouTube page, but if you want to send them in beforehand, send them to nancywestnews@gmail.com
This is not intended to be a political rally for or against taxes, but to continue the thoughtful discussion you folks started in responding to our question. You can read those here. https://indepthnh.org/2026/05/15/day-5-you-nh-folks-sure-know-your-taxes/
Phil Sletten is the Research Director at the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute, where he has worked since 2016. Before joining NHFPI, Phil was a Performance Auditor at the New Hampshire Office of Legislative Budget Assistant. He has expertise in research and analysis related to the State Budget, State revenues and expenditures, the economy, and the financial wellbeing of Granite Staters with low and moderate incomes. Phil earned his Bachelor’s in Political Science and Policy Studies from Grinnell College and Master’s of Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin. He is also a 2018 graduate of Leadership New Hampshire. Phil was named the 2020 Young Professional of the Year by the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, as well as one of the New Hampshire Union Leader’s 40 Under 40 in 2021 and one of Business New Hampshire Magazine’s 40 Influential Leaders in New Hampshire in 2024. Born and raised in New Hampshire, Phil lives in an old farmhouse on a dirt road in rural Henniker.
Garry Rayno’s Distant Dome runs on InDepthNH.org, where he explores a broader perspective on State House – and state – happenings. Over his decades-long career, Rayno has closely covered the NH State House for InDepthNH.org, the New Hampshire Union Leader, and others across the state. Rayno graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a BA in English Literature and lives with his wife, Carolyn and their two rescue dogs.
Here are a few resources from NHFPI:
- Start here for summaries: New Hampshire Policy Points 2025: Funding Public Services – February 2025, chapter of our New Hampshire Policy Points book
- Dive deeper with slides: The State Budget and Funding for Public Services in New Hampshire – March 23, 2026, presentation slides, video here
- More on property taxes and interstate comparisons: Property Taxes in New Hampshire: How They Work and How They Compare – April 9, 2026, includes intrastate and interstate comparisons of overall taxes and revenue as well across many tables in the report
- Specific analysis of State business taxes: Business Tax Rate Reductions Led to Between $795 Million and $1.17 Billion in Forgone Revenue for Public Services Since 2015 – April 1, 2025
- Builds on this larger analysis: State Business Tax Rate Reductions Led to Between $496 Million and $729 Million Less for Public Services – August 2, 2023
- Helped inform this later analysis: Business Enterprise Tax Rate Decreases Have Lowered Revenue with Limited Economic Benefit – January 27, 2026
- Older, detailed report: Revenue in Review: An Overview of New Hampshire’s Tax System and Major Revenue Sources – May 2017, older but comprehensive document
- Highlights of recent changes: Shifting Sources: A Brief Look at Long-Term State Revenue Trends in New Hampshire – September 2025, discusses how State revenues have changed recently
- An even deeper dive into lots of slides: Funding Public Services in New Hampshire – July 23, 2025
And some stories and columns from InDepthNH.org
GARRY RAYNO: Latest Constitutional Ban on an Income Tax Fails
GARRY RAYNO: Historically Taxes Are a Reflection of the State of Our Democracy
MIKE KITCH: Blowin’ in the Wind: Property Taxes and the Price of the Pledge
GARRY RAYNO: Taxes Will Be a Hot Topic This Coming Legislative Session
ANDRU VOLINSKY: Op-Ed: The 3-3 Tax Savings Plan – It’s About Affordability
Thanks. See you there!