New Hampshire

Op-Ed: Self-Inflicted Budget Crisis: NH Tax Policy Choices Undermine NH’s Future

Published

1 year ago

April 9, 2025

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.

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New Hampshire

Bank Robber, Sexual Assaulter, With 40-Plus Year Criminal History, Wanted On Parole Violation: NH DOC

Published

5 hours ago

April 24, 2026

Press Room

Bank Robber, Sexual Assaulter, With 40-Plus Year Criminal History, Wanted On Parole Violation: NH DOC

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Department of Corrections is asking for the public’s help in finding a sex offender and robbery convict, with “violent tendencies,” who is wanted on a parole violation.

Michael J. Wells is 60, white, about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and weighs around 150 lbs. He has dirty blond hair and hazel eyes. Officials said Wells sometimes uses the following aliases: “Michael Morris,” “Michael Morse,” and “Michael Kirby.” He has Tasmanian devil, star, moon, and skull tattoos on his right arm and a cross over a skull with a spider web on his left arm.

The warrant against Wells was issued by the New Hampshire Parole Board as well as Manchester police for duty to report, after accusing him of absconding from parole and failing to register as a sex offender.

“In December 1994,” an alert stated, “Wells was convicted of aggravated felonious sexual assault and as a result, is required to register as a Tier III sex offender for the remainder of his life. Wells is currently on Parole Supervision for robbery.”

In December 2018, Wells robbed the Citizens Bank in Manchester, passing a note stating, “I have a gun. No tracking. No dye bag. $20-$50 quickly. No alarm.” In August 2021, he committed the same offense under similar circumstances, officials said, after he was placed on escape status from the Calumet Transitional Housing Unit. He was arrested in Massachusetts a few weeks later.

Wells is known to frequent both Concord and Manchester.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the New Hampshire Department of Corrections and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains how to request the removal of a name from New Hampshire Patch police reports.

Wells criminal history dates back more than four decades, according to superior court records, after he was accused of forgery in Nashua in August 1985. In June 1988, he was convicted on one forgery charge.

Wells was accused of theft in 1990 and he pleaded guilty to the charge a month later.

Wells was accused of bail jumping in February 1989.

In 1994, Wells was accused of aggravated felonious sexual assault, sexual assault, and second-degree assault charges in Nashua. In December 1994, he pleaded guilty to the second-degree assault charge. Wells was found guilty by the court on one aggravated felonious sexual assault charge in January 1996.

Wells was also accused of escape in December 1998.

In 2005 and 2006, more charges were racked up, including four acts prohibited counts in Nashua, a false report to law enforcement, receiving stolen property, two acts prohibited counts in Salem, and forgery in Manchester. Wells was found guilty on two of the drug charges in Salem and the Manchester forgery charge, while the others were nolle prossed.

In April 2019, Wells was convicted on the December 2018 bank robbery charges. He was given a three-and-a-half-to-10-year sentence with 136 days of time served credit and a 10-to-20-year sentence, suspended for 10 years.

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New Hampshire

N.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe

Published

18 hours ago

April 23, 2026

Press Room

N.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe

One proposal (Senate Bill 627) would generate more than $53 million per year in estimated revenue for turnpike projects by essentially doubling what certain cars pay on the state’s toll roads.

The cash fare for Hampton’s main toll booth on Interstate 95, for example, would jump from $2 to $4 for cars and pickup trucks. The toll wouldn’t increase at all for motorists who use New Hampshire’s E-ZPass transponders.

“Surrounding states already have the same in-state discount structure in place,” Democratic Representative Martin Jack of Nashua wrote on behalf of a House committee that unanimously recommended the bill.

A potential hitch: Governor Kelly Ayotte. She’s expressed opposition to the whole toll-hiking idea, and proven she’s not afraid to use her veto pen.

Modifying civil rights standard

Another proposal (Senate Bill 464) would add a few words to the state’s Civil Rights Act. Instead of addressing conduct that is merely “motivated by” a legally protected characteristic, the proposed revision would address conduct that is “substantially motivated by hostility towards the victim’s” protected characteristic (such as their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability).

The prime sponsor, Republican Senator Daryl Abbas, an attorney, testified the change was small and aligned with the law’s intent. But the attorney who oversees the Civil Rights Unit at the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Sean Locke, testified in opposition, saying the proposal could reduce protections, especially since the meaning of “substantially” is somewhat vague.

The House is also weighing a proposed amendment that would add a few more words than Abbas’s version, potentially narrowing the Civil Rights Act’s applicability a bit further.

Open enrollment for K-12 schools

A third proposal up for a vote on Thursday (Senate Bill 101) would make every K-12 public school in New Hampshire an “open enrollment” school. That way, students could freely choose to transfer to a district other than the one where they live.

The proposed policy is controversial, partly because of how schools are funded. Districts rely mostly on local property taxes to cover their costs, as the state government chips in relatively little, and property tax rates vary widely from one community to the next. That generates concern about who will foot the bill when a student transfers.

In light of those concerns, Republicans are offering a compromise amendment to SB 101 that would require the state to provide more money per pupil that a district receives via open enrollment, as the New Hampshire Bulletin reported. Democrats are offering their own amendment to establish a study commission on this topic, rather than adopt the proposed policy now.

Lawmakers have until May 14 to take action on the bills that came from the other chamber, though they have until June 4 to iron out any discrepancies.

Amanda Gokee of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

This story appears in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free email newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. Sign up here.

Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.

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New Hampshire

Boston MedFlight expands into NH

Published

1 day ago

April 23, 2026

Press Room

Boston MedFlight often touches down at the scene of some of the worst tragedies in New England – where minutes can mean life or death for a victim. The critical care transport operation is now expanding with a new base in New Hampshire.

The organization is hosting an open house at the new Manchester location on Thursday.

Boston MedFlight flies a critical care transport paramedic and nurse on every flight. Jaik Hanley-McCarthy says their helicopters and ground vehicles are equipped to handle just about any emergency medical procedure.

“Anything that can be done in the ICU,” explained Hanley-McCarthy. “We have a mobile lab so we can draw blood and run labs in real time.”

Boston MedFlight now has five bases across the region.

“Having a base in Manchester just expands this Boston-level care even further north to the more remote areas of the state,” said Hanley-McCarthy.

Boston MedFlight operates as a network of bases and some of the locations are staffed 24 hours.

Chief Executive Officer Maura Hughes says the nonprofit operation survives on public and private donations.

“We provide about $7 million in free care every year to patients,” said Hughes. “Not every hospital can be everything to every patient. We’re really the glue that keeps the health care system together.”

Heather Young says her daughter, Teighan, is still alive because she was flown for a critical assessment and procedure after falling off a truck and hitting her head.

“She should not be driving and walking and talking and all the things she’s doing as quickly as she is,” said Young.

Teighan just turned 18 and plans to go to college to study the medical field.

“I want to be a nurse and help other people,” she said.

It’s stories like this that keep the men and women who work Boston MedFlight focused on their mission.

“I think we just go call by call and try to do the best we can,” said Hanley-McCarthy. “I think when we stop and truly think about it, I think that weight is pretty heavy.”

Boston MedFlight also has a yearly reunion where patients and the team get together here in Bedford to meet and check in on their progress. It really shows you how connected they are to the people they help.

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