Thank you to everyone who shared your opinions and ideas about taxes in New Hampshire. Included below are the last few we received. We got well over 60 responses. They were well-informed, from the heart and showed there is a real desire to have an honest conversation about taxes in New Hampshire. What to do now? InDepthNH.org is hosting an online discussion June 9 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. with people who know a lot about taxes in New Hampshire – Phil Sletten of the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute and InDepthNH.org reporter and columnist Garry Rayno. See you there. Bring your questions and suggestions. Thanks, Nancy West
Get your free tickets to the online event June 9 and more information here: https://indepthnh.org/2026/05/26/join-indepthnh-for-free-online-talk-with-experts-on-nh-taxes-june-9-from-6-to-730-pm/
Here are links to the five previous days on your opinions about taxes in NH:
Day 1: https://indepthnh.org/2026/05/11/how-about-taxes-in-new-hampshire/
Day 2: https://indepthnh.org/2026/05/12/day-2-what-you-have-to-say-about-nh-taxes/
Day 3: https://indepthnh.org/2026/05/13/day-3-nh-folks-have-a-lot-of-opinions-on-taxes/
Day 4: https://indepthnh.org/2026/05/14/day-4-now-what-to-do-about-taxes-in-nh/
Day 5: https://indepthnh.org/2026/05/15/day-5-you-nh-folks-sure-know-your-taxes/
Here are a few of the last ones we received. Thanks again.
BILL BLACK
Hanover, NH
NH ranks as the 18th most regressive tax system among the 50 states (VT ranks as 2nd least regressive). As a share of family income, the total tax rate falls from 8.9% among the lowest 20% to 2.6% for the top 1%. Similarly, the property tax rate falls from 5.9% to 2.0%. These statistics grossly underrepresent how regressive the tax system is because they do not account for unrealized capital gains, which are not counted as income or taxed but constitute about one-half of the annual wealth increases for the top 1%, who own about one-half of the nation’s unrealized capital gains.
NH is one of 9 states that has no income tax (NH repealed its dividends and interest tax in 2025). NH also has no estate or inheritance tax. NH has the 2nd lowest total tax burden (5.38%) but the 3rd highest property tax burden (4.33%). The major downside to the low total tax burden is lack of support for public services, particularly schools. NH ranks last in state-level support for public education. Furthermore, the continued growth in state spending for education freedom accounts, which disproportionately benefits the wealthy, increasingly deprives the state of revenue for other public services.
Why do 99% of NH families pay more than twice the effective tax rate as the top 1%? Because the top 1% are grossly overrepresented in our government and have grotesquely corrupted it.
Around 1990, billionaire big oil industrialists Charles and David Koch started founding free market think tanks with the goal of eliminating environmental regulations and taxes and defunding the government. In 2003, they teamed up with Jason Sorens to bring people to the Free State Project in NH. In addition, the Kochs started to orchestrate the 2010 Citizens United decision that removed corporate spending limits. Although there are only about 8,000 Free Staters in NH now, less than 1% of the population, they completely control the trifecta Republican government in NH. They achieved this through a combination of disinformation, gerrymandering, voter suppression, and unlimited political contributions. The Koch brothers attended MIT School of Engineering with John H. Sununu, father of former NH Governor Chris Sununu. In 2019, he vetoed a bipartisan bill to create an independent advisory committee (to replace partisan gerrymandering) and several campaign finance reforms. John E. Sununu, brother of Chris, is now running for Senator representing NH.
NH is a microcosm of the US, which also now has a Republican trifecta that has risen to power in a similar way behind the funding of the Kochs and their billionaire buddies.
BILL BLACK
Hanover, NH
SUSAN SHERROUSE
1. We need to tax people who make over $1 million through any income, to include salaries, dividends, pensions or inheritance. Tax them at 3%.
2. Make the property tax a statewide tax, with second homes owned by those who have residency outside of NH being taxed double. This levels out the playing field regarding school funding.
3. Tax alcoholic beverages. If we taxed them at 2%, we are still cheaper than our neighboring states, so it’s still an incentive for someone coming to buy alcoholic beverages from NH.
4. Start selling cannabis on the open market, tax it at 5%, and put a rider in the bill that the cannabis outlets cannot be owned in any way, shape or form by a large corporation or company. Keep the money in NH.
5. People who make under $50K are exempt from any and all taxes. They pay the most and are probably some of the hardest working individuals out there. Think of truck drivers, restaurant staff, retail staff, etc. These people can barely afford rent, let alone paying for food, healthcare and childcare.
No one wants to pay taxes, but we need to make it as fair as possible.
SUSAN SHERROUSE, Concord, NH
STEPHANIE and ROBERT HETU
My husband and I have lived in Pittsfield, NH, since 1981.
Our property taxes have skyrocketed. Our school system is not doing well. I heard an elderly neighbor crying at the Town Hall last year because they could no longer pay their property taxes.
Young folks now can’t afford a home after apartment life and save for a down payment on land and a new-to-them mobile/modular or stick-built home until they can afford to put a finished home on the land. In 1973, a “current use” law was enacted. We feel it is no longer useful unless it is used for farms that provide products for others, not just for themselves. Everyone should pay their fair share of property taxes, not just the wealthy who can afford to buy land and make future buyers pay the current use tax when they are ready to cash out with a large return on investment. The State of NH has a forest program to protect land, and there are now numerous Land Conservation Trusts that are actively buying land/property, not to mention zoning regulations.
STEPHANIE and ROBERT HETU
JOSH WYATT
Here is an opinion, or really a set of facts, I wanted to share if you thought appropriate to include with the comments you’re collecting from New Hampshire citizens.
Often politicians will make broad misstatements about the state not having a sales or income tax. New Hampshire has an income tax. New Hampshire has the “business enterprise tax” and “business profits tax,” for example. New Hampshire also taxes hospital income — called the “Medicaid Enhancement Tax.” Similarly, New Hampshire also has sales taxes. Next time you sell your real estate, the buyer/seller will pay the statutory rate of sales tax to DRA, unless the transfer is exempted. You also pay sales tax on prepared meals. My point is not to take a position on the propriety of any tax that exists or might exist, but just to make everyone aware that New Hampshire does have sales taxes and it does have income taxes.
JOSH WYATT, Portsmouth, NH
CLAUDETTE NIEMELA
I am writing in regard to taxes in NH. Property taxes are skyrocketing, and it’s getting so a lot of us that are elderly are struggling to pay our taxes. There’s no hope in the future for the citizens in NH to look for a more affordable way of living. It’s scary, especially for the younger generation.
CLAUDETTE NIEMELA
TED MORGAN
My thoughts around taxes, education, and a host of other NH issues revolve around the oppressive and unsustainable inequality that exists in this state:
- NH’s revenues depend on property taxes more than any other state — a fact which hits lower- and middle-income residents most of all, while the richest sectors pay a much smaller proportion of their incomes on taxes.
- NH’s public school system builds in huge life advantages for the wealthiest New Hampshirites, while leaving thousands of New Hampshire children in school systems that don’t have the resources to give their students an education that remotely approaches the quality of those who are advantaged by high local property wealth and/or high incomes.
- NH has for 54 years been living under the big lie of the “Pledge” against any broad-based income or sales tax — often incorrectly cited as the “New Hampshire Advantage” of “low taxes.” Tell that to people struggling to make ends meet, while paying their local property tax or their exorbitant rent.
- While reinstituting the Interest and Dividends taxes would provide a partial remedy by taxing the richest 5% of the population, it wouldn’t go nearly far enough to provide property tax relief and remedy New Hampshire’s major educational inequality. The best way to do exactly that would be to adopt something very close to the Cut Our Property Taxes Group’s 3-3 Tax Savings Plan. 80% of the people in New Hampshire would have lower state and local taxes, and 99% of the funds raised by the income tax (with generous deductions) would go directly to local school districts to help in reducing the school taxes, while also providing funds that would help provide much-needed support for the education of special education, low income, and English as a Second Language students. It would stabilize school funding.
- Anyone in New Hampshire can compare how they fare under the 3-3 plan to the current tax structure by using the tax calculator at nhtaxsavingscalculator.com.
TED MORGAN