New Hampshire
Op-Ed: Self-Inflicted Budget Crisis: NH Tax Policy Choices Undermine NH’s Future
By Todd I. Selig
New Hampshire’s budget crisis isn’t the result of an economic downturn or unexpected calamity—it’s the foreseeable outcome of deliberate policy choices. Chief among them: a decade of business tax cuts that have drained state revenues without delivering the promised economic boom.
We were told that cutting the Business Profits Tax (BPT) and Business Enterprise Tax (BET) would attract businesses, grow the economy, and create jobs. What we got instead is an underfunded university system, strained schools and counties, struggling low- and moderate-income residents, and towns forced to absorb the cost of the state’s growing disinvestment.
Since 2015, reductions in BPT and BET rates have cost New Hampshire between $795 million and $1.17 billion in forgone revenue, according to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute. And yet, the return on that investment has been negligible.
Let’s look at the facts:
- Slower Revenue Growth: From 2015 to 2023, NH business tax revenues grew 124%. In that same period, Maine and Vermont—states that kept corporate tax rates stable—saw 167% and 166% growth, respectively. Nationally, the increase was 192%, and among New England states (excluding NH), 172%.
- Minimal Economic Impact: Each dollar spent on business tax cuts generates only 34 cents in economic activity. In contrast, food assistance yields $1.61, and federal aid to states and municipalities brings in $1.34 per dollar.
- No Jobs Boom: NHFPI analysis shows no statistical link between BPT cuts and job creation. Large corporations—especially multinationals, which make up 60% of BPT revenue—benefit most. Local communities and families are left to absorb the consequences of reduced state investment.
Now, with the New Hampshire House finalizing a two-year budget, proposed cuts reflect the painful consequences of this shortfall. These aren’t just belt-tightening measures—they’re deep, structural wounds.
Among the most damaging proposals is a 33% cut in state aid to the University System of New Hampshire (USNH)—a staggering $50 million reduction. Already the least-funded public university system in the nation, USNH plays a vital role in our state’s economic engine. The flagship campus, UNH, generates $1.3 billion in economic output annually, supports nearly 9,000 jobs, and contributes over $74 million in state and local tax revenue. UNH alumni alone pump another $1.1 billion into the economy through wages and spending.
But these numbers don’t fully capture what’s at stake. As an R1 research university, UNH attracts $260 million in federal funding each year, tackles critical issues like PFAS contamination and space innovation, and sustains over 2,300 jobs. It’s a lifeline to 15,000 students—19% of whom are first-generation college attendees—many of whom stay and contribute to our workforce after graduation. Undermining this system now is like a farmer selling her tractor to save on fuel: short-sighted and counterproductive.
The proposed budget also freezes Rooms and Meals Tax distributions to municipalities at $137 million per year. This amounts to a de facto $11 million cut over two years. For towns like Durham, Concord, Plymouth, Manchester, Nashua, Lebanon, Derry, and Salem it means raising property taxes or cutting services—another example of the state offloading its responsibilities onto local governments and local taxpayers.
We need solutions rooted in pragmatism, not ideology. Here are two steps lawmakers should take now:
- Restore Business Tax Rates: Reinstating pre-2015 BPT and BET rates could generate up to $1 billion in revenue—funds that could stabilize USNH, restore municipal aid, and support key services like Medicaid expansion and the arts.
- Pause New Spending: Delay all new programs and initiatives unless they demonstrate clear cost savings, improved efficiencies, or long-term economic benefit. The Governor’s Commission on Efficiency (COVE) could play a leading role in identifying these opportunities.
New Hampshire residents pride themselves on common-sense decision-making. We invest in what works, fix what’s broken, and pivot when policies fall short. The business tax cuts have not delivered. Clinging to them out of political convenience only prolongs the damage.
This budget crisis is not inevitable. It’s the direct result of legislative choices made over the last decade. Lawmakers must now choose differently—for the sake of our communities, our students, and our shared future.
About the author: Originally from Laconia, Todd Selig is the longtime Town Manager in Durham, where he lives with his family.
A New Hampshire motorcyclist who had been missing since the Fourth of July was found dead in Shelburne late Thursday night.
State police say they received a request from the Berlin Police Department just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday for help locating 41-year-old Wesley Grondin — the Berlin man was last seen riding his motorcycle on Saturday, July 4, and had been reported missing.
Troopers received a call a couple of hours later, around 10:10 p.m. Thursday, from a concerned resident who had been out looking for Grondin along Route 2 in Shelburne. The person told police they had found Grondin dead, along with his Harley Davidson.
According to state police, a preliminary investigation determined that Grondin was riding his Harley on Route 2 westbound in Shelburne when, for reasons that remain under investigation, he crossed over into the opposing lane, struck a post, and came to a final rest in the wood line.
The crash is believed to have occurred just before midnight on July 4. At this time, police say there’s no indication that another vehicle or person was involved.
All aspects of the crash remain under investigation, however. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to contact Trooper Hunter Newsham at Hunter.P.Newsham@dos.nh.gov.
KEENE, N.H. — A Nashua woman who had a town clerk falsely certify a marriage that never happened so she could claim her late partner’s property has been sentenced to seven days in jail, placed on probation and ordered to repay thousands to his estate.
Attorney General John Formella said Wendy Leedberg‑Snow, 60, turned to Winchester Town Clerk Jim Tetreault after the death of her longtime partner, Eric Leedberg — who was born in Lowell — using the falsified license to pose as his spouse and lay claim to property from his estate, an effort prosecutors describe as an attempt to rewrite the couple’s history for financial gain.
“This case involved a deliberate effort to manipulate official government records and exploit the death of a loved one for personal financial gain,” Formella said in a press release announcing the sentencing. “Our vital records system depends on honesty and integrity, and those who seek to corrupt that system will be held accountable. I want to thank the investigators and prosecutors whose work ensured justice for the victim’s family.”
According to Leedberg’s obituary, he was 53 when he died on Oct. 12, 2023, following a two‑year battle with cancer.
In the obituary, Leedberg-Snow is described as his “significant other.”
Prosecutors said Leedberg‑Snow moved quickly after his death, relying on Tetreault’s signature to fabricate a marriage that never occurred and position herself as Leedberg’s surviving spouse.
Tetreault, who was a New Hampshire justice of the peace at the time, falsely signed the marriage license claiming he had officiated the couple’s wedding. He later admitted he never performed any ceremony for Leedberg‑Snow and Leedberg and had no personal knowledge of them ever being married.
Leedberg‑Snow used the fraudulent certificate to obtain property from Leedberg’s estate, including a pickup truck and trailer, and later attempted to influence a witness connected to the scheme.
Leedberg‑Snow pleaded guilty in Cheshire County Superior Court in Keene to felony counts of solicitation to commit vital records fraud, title fraud, theft by misapplication of property and witness tampering.
In addition to her seven‑day jail term, she must serve two years of probation, pay $4,600 in restitution, return the truck and trailer to Leedberg’s estate and comply with a suspended three‑and‑a‑half‑ to seven‑year prison sentence, which means the sentence only takes effect if she violates the conditions of her probation.
Tetreault, who continues to serve as Winchester’s town clerk and “fully cooperated with the State’s investigation,” according to prosecutors, pleaded guilty in April to notarial misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor. As part of a negotiated plea, prosecutors dropped a felony charge of vital records fraud. He was sentenced to 90 days in the house of corrections, all suspended for two years on good behavior, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus a $240 penalty assessment.
He resigned his commissions as a justice of the peace and bail commissioner and agreed not to seek recommissioning as a justice of the peace or notary public during the two‑year suspension period.
Tetreault could not be reached for comment at his office number.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
SARGENT’S PURCHASE – On Saturday, personnel from multiple rescue crews teamed up to help an injured woman get off of Mt. Washington to seek medical treatment.
At approximately 7:45 AM, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Conservation Officers were notified that a staff member at the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) Lakes of the Clouds Hut had taken a serious fall at the hut and was left unable to walk.
Fish and Game subsequently mobilized search and rescue personnel to come and help evacuate the young woman from her remote location.
By 10:00 AM, members of the Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team (AVSAR), Pemigewassett Valley Search and Rescue Team (Pemi), AMC and Fish and Game had gathered at the Base Station of the Cog Rail. The Cog Railway generously donated room on their trains, and rescuers and equipment were given rides up Mt. Washington to the West Side Trail, which allowed for a shorter and less strenuous 1.6 mile hike than other routes.
By 11:20 AM rescuers were at the hut with the patient. The patient was subsequently packaged in a litter and prepared for an overland carryout back to the Cog tracks.
Rescue personnel made steady progress, and by 2:15 PM had made it back across West Side Trail and to the train tracks. A Cog Railway train picked up the whole rescue party and brought everyone back down the mountain. Once roadside, the patient was evaluated by personnel from Twin Mountain Fire and Rescue.
She was ultimately driven from the scene by a friend and went to Memorial Hospital in North Conway for further evaluation
and treatment of multiple injuries related to her fall. The patient was identified as Cali Turner, 26, of Willimantic, Maine.
Fish and Game would like to thank all of the people and organizations involved in this rescue effort. Through the help of everyone, the rescue was a great success and got done in a timely manner.
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