To the Editor
Before the November election every candidate for state office should be asked two questions. First: What is your vision for New Hampshire in the future? After the first is answered, the second question is: What is needed to achieve your vision?
New Hampshire has always been a high quality and special place in which to live, vacation and raise a family. But if your desire is to keep your children and grandchildren in the state we must provide quality and high paying jobs and professions. Without this New Hampshire will become a retirement state offering nothing but low paying service jobs at best.
New Hampshire must begin to offer benefits to encourage businesses, especially manufacturing companies. Business taxes must be reduced to counteract the high cost of utilities in New Hampshire. This means lower business taxes and greater incentives to encourage new businesses to start here and out-of-state companies to relocate to New Hampshire.
Unfortunately I see this business incentive program as being number two in our priorities. First, and immediately, when the legislature meets in January 2011, we must reduce the size of government and make the resulting government more efficient, smaller and open. All branches of government and departments within those branches must prioritize its programs. Then we must evaluate each program on a cost/benefit basis. We must continue to provide our citizens with the necessary needs, but not every want. Only then can we be able to move into a major business development effort for New Hampshire that will result in greater employment and business tax revenue
Obtaining fiscal soundness will be difficult considering that in the past four years we have increased the state budget 24%. We have instituted 60 new or increased taxes and fees. Even with this increase in taxes and fees we have not been able to meet our higher budget and will go into our next budget with a $700 million shortfall.
You might ask: What has happened to the frugal, self sufficient New Hampshire that I thought I lived in?
Sincerely yours,
Representative Robert H. Rowe
Amherst and Milford
