Should towns be required to spend state aid directly on property tax cuts?
The State House dome as seen on March 5, 2016. (ELIZABETH FRANTZ / Monitor staff) ELIZABETH FRANTZ
Published: 2/22/2021 3:24:19 PM
State legislators from both sides of the aisle seem to agree that New Hampshire property taxes are too high. Local property tax rates are a much bigger burden than the statewide property tax, however, so state lawmakers usually try to ease the property tax burden indirectly by providing towns with more state dollars.
Towns have many other spending obligations, however, and state money does not necessarily go straight to property tax cuts. One bill this year, SB 118, would require towns to use 60% of state aid to cut property taxes.