Committee hears bill to move power generators from utility tax to statewide education tax

The House Ways and Means Committee heard testimony on House Bill 696, which would reclassify electricity generators as manufacturers and move them from the state's utility property tax to the statewide education property tax (SWEPT), Representative Michael Vose (R-Rockingham District 5) told the committee. The bill would not take effect until the 2028 tax year, the prime sponsor said.

Supporters, including industry representatives and a study commission that worked three years on the issue, said the proposal would resolve long-running assessment disputes between the Department of Revenue Administration and local assessors and place generators on the same tax footing as other commercial businesses. Molly Connors of the New England Power Generators Association told the committee New Hampshire currently subjects non-utility power plants to two distinct property assessments and appeals processes, which she called "costly, inefficient, unfair, and contribut[ing] to increased litigation costs for host communities, plant owners, and the state itself."

The bil…