Eric Hoffman for Laconia

CONTACT

DONATE

Eric Hoffman

State Representative for Laconia

Wards 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6

We Need Change in New Hampshire!

The Issues:

Taxes

For the past decade the New Hampshire state government has continued to decrease revenue, increase spending, and downshift costs onto local property taxes. The math is simple, and you see the result every time you get your property tax bill. 

• Property taxes have gone up an average of 47.5% over the last 10 years. Source: (NHFPI)
• This increase is entirely due to state policies downshifting costs, and not increased municipal spending. Source:(NHMA)

What should we do about it:

I believe the tax burden on property owners in New Hampshire is too high. Over the past decade, taxes have been shifted from the wealthy onto the middle class. They need to shift back. When the middle class thrives, the economy thrives. We need a state government that puts working families first.  

I do not support the creation of any new broad based taxes such as income tax, or sales tax. Not only is such a wholesale change in our tax system unlikely to gain the support necessary to implement, but for most people, it only shifts your taxes from one source to another. We need to work within the tax framework we have, and shift some of the tax burden off of the middle class. In order to accomplish any meaningful property tax relief we need to increase revenue and/or decrease spending. 

Specifically:  

• Bring back the Interest and Dividends Tax: The interest and dividends tax generated between $140 – $180 million dollars a year before being repealed in 2025. 
• Return to corporate tax rate to 8.5% The 1% cut in business taxes has cost the state almost a billion dollars since 2015. Source: (NHFPI)

Housing

The lack of affordable housing in New Hampshire is driving up housing costs for everyone. We have an affordability crisis, and making this issue a top priority is long overdue. New Hampshire should be a place where people can own a home and raise a family, not a place where the American dream is becoming unattainable. 

• The median home cost in NH has more than doubled over the last decade, and is now $576,000. Source: (NHPR)
• We currently have a housing shortage of 23,000 houses in New Hampshire

What should we do about it:

We need to increase housing inventory for all income levels. Municipalities like Laconia are not in a position to provide large scale incentives to developers, or assistance to first time homebuyers. We need to boost funding for housing programs at the state level to encourage the construction of housing that a working family can afford, and help families purchase their first home. These programs are working, but they are under funded. 

Stop private equity firms from purchasing property and raising rents. Out of state investment purchases are driving up housing costs for everyone. There should be an incentive to sell property to New Hampshire residents instead of out of state investors, and tenants should be protected from sharp increases in rent. Not “rent control”, but a fair deal for tenants. 

Prioritize local control. Recent legislation restricts Laconia’s ability to enforce zoning requirements like the number of parking spaces, or housing density. These new rules restrict our ability to plan and manage our own community. While these initiatives are intended to encourage housing, they will ultimately burden local governments with parking and infrastructure issues. As a Laconia City Councilor, I know how important it is to protect that character of our neighborhoods, and plan the growth of our city. We cannot do this with Concord overriding our planning and zoning efforts! 

Education

The New Hampshire state government continues to ignore court rulings demanding that the state provide adequate education funding, while the “voucher” program siphons over 50 million dollars from public schools this budget cycle. 

The Education Freedom Accounts (EFA) or “Vouchers” allow taxpayer money to be diverted from public schools, to private and religious schools. 

New Hampshire ranks 50th for state education funding. Source: (NEANH) The state needs to take a larger role in public education funding. The quality of your education should not be determined by your zip code. 

The problem with the EFA program (Vouchers):

Budget

The EFA program is projected to be 12.3 million over budget this year, and 14.4 over budget next year. Source: (InDepthNH)

Oversight 

• The EFA program is being run by a third party organization, and not subject to right-to-know laws. Taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going. 
• The EFA program allows out of state, for profit organizations to receive taxpayer money. Money that should be going to your local schools. Amazon.com received 14.6% of total EFA funds! 
• 57% of EFA spending goes towards actual school tuition, with the majority of that tuition spending going to religious schools.  Source: (New Hampshire Bulletin)

What should we do about it:

Repeal the voucher program, or at a minimum add the same oversight, accountability, and education criteria that local schools are subject to. 

Restore reasonable income caps. Your property taxes should not be paying for wealthy children to attend private schools. I want to keep your school taxes where they belong, in your schools.