Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tax Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate Finance Committee hears proposal to require two-thirds vote for new broad-based taxes
Summary
A proponent told the committee that CACR 12 would ask voters whether the Legislature must use a two-thirds vote to create new broad-based taxes; senators pressed for clearer definitions of "broad-based" and "new" and raised concerns about ceding authority to the executive branch and about implementation details.
A hearing in the New Hampshire Senate Finance Committee on CACR 12 opened with a proponent explaining that the constitutional amendment would ask voters to require a two-thirds legislative vote before creating "new" broad-based taxes that affect every citizen.
Proponents told the committee the measure is intended to ensure that creation of major new revenue streams — for example, a statewide sales or income tax — would reflect a supermajority agreement rather than a simple 50% plus one majority. The proponent described the change as a protection for the state's taxpayers and as a way to encourage bipartisan agreement.
Several senators pressed the proponent on drafting details. Senator Waters objected to the draft's use of the word "scheme," saying it implies secrecy, and urged a different term. She also asked whether the proposal's language would capture taxes that affect only a subset of residents (for example, an interest-and-dividends tax that applies to a limited number of taxpayers), and whether an incremental change in an existing tax would be covered.
The proponent said the intent is to cover creation of new taxes generally applied to all citizens and suggested the committee could clarify the term "new" in drafting. Senator Versa said putting the question before voters would engage residents who would pay the tax, and the proponent agreed that a definition of "new" could be added to the text.
Senator Russell asked whether a sales or manufacturer tax tied to cannabis would be subject to the two-thirds threshold; the proponent said the manufacturer tax in a prior marijuana bill was paid by manufacturers and not a broad-based citizen tax and therefore would not fall under the proposed measure.
The committee closed public testimony, moved into executive session for further drafting and deliberation, and did not take a final vote on the amendment during the hearing. The record shows public reaction was mixed in prior online signups for related items.
