Politics & Government

Should NH Raise the State Gas Tax?

The NH Senate passed a bill that would raise the state's gas tax by 4 cents per gallon, from 18 cents to 22 cents. Will it add to your pain at the pump?

Will a proposed 4-cent increase in the state's gas tax add to your pain at the pump?

The New Hampshire Senate this week passed a bill that would increase the gas tax by 4 cents, from 18 cents to 22 cents, with the estimated $33 million raised going to fund transportation infrastructure improvements.

The average price for a gallon of gas in New Hampshire is $3.50, according to Gas Buddy, on March 28. The prices can vary widely around the state, however.

Greg Moore, director of the conservative Americans for Prosperity-NH, criticized the proposed increase as a 23 percent tax hike for Granite Staters.

"With the working families of New Hampshire still struggling with an economy that has not grown wages, as well as a significant federal tax increase in January, the last thing we need is a 23% increase in the tax on gas and diesel," Moore said after the vote. "Not only with this take more of the hard-earned money out of the pockets of our citizens at the pump, it will also increase the cost of goods and services. For many in the trucking and logging industry it will be a huge new burden to bear. Beyond that, this tax hike will undercut the New Hampshire Advantage and make people less likely to come across the border and buy products here. In so many ways, this is a bad decision for New Hampshire."

(Read the bill here.)

Supporters of the legislation contend the increase, at 4 cents, is small enough not to hurt taxpayers and a boost to funding highway priorities. The increase would be the first in the state's gas tax since 1991.


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