Entries by Andrew Cline

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The Education Tax Credit: How does it work?

Serious misunderstandings about the state’s Education Tax Credit Program seem to be driving the effort to eliminate it. At least, they’re driving the narrative behind that effort. Misconceptions are so pervasive that legislators are repeating them in public statements. Experienced drivers know that it’s dangerous if even a few people wind up going the wrong […]

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Five facts about the minimum wage

The odds that legislators will vote to raise New Hampshire’s minimum wage this year are significantly better than the odds that sitting through next year’s Super Bowl halftime show will be more entertaining than going to the kitchen for more nachos. Why? Ideas like this, as expressed by Rep. Howard Moffett, D-Canterbury: “If there is […]

Fight socialism with beer!

Sign up for our e-newsletter by Feb. 21 for a chance to win a $100 Murphy’s Taproom gift card! Socialism is gaining popularity in the United States. And we’re here to fight back… with beer. Each Friday we publish a free-market e-newsletter called The Broadside. Sign up for The Broadside using the form below — […]

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A costly and unnecessary paid leave plan

Senate Democrats unveiled their paid family and medical leave bill this week, and the big question was: Why?  The reasons given — that it will be a job recruitment tool and a family benefit — were hardly enough to justify its cost.  The bill’s fiscal note predicts that the mandatory 0.5 percent tax would raise […]

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Oscar asks for a handout

In the last legislative session, this newsletter warned about the dangerous precedent legislators would set if they passed a tax incentive package tailored for a specific industry, in this case a single company, Manchester’s Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI). New Hampshire doesn’t do industrial tax incentives, we warned, and if the state starts, other industries […]

How the FDA can quickly save more NH lives

If foreigners dispersed throughout the United States a poison that killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, and drug makers had a safe, easy-to-administer antidote, would the federal government dare restrict its distribution? It’s an easy answer — because just that scenario is happening right now. Drug overdoses are poisonings (they’re officially classified as such). The […]

The state of the state is hot

If it weren’t for the expectation (among modern governors) that modern governors must use state-of-the-state addresses to excite the populace with a list of flashy new policy proposals, Gov. Chris Sununu could have simply read excerpts from the state’s recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, released December 27.  We quote a few key passages below. “In […]

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Brace for business tax increases in 2019

The incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee wants New Hampshire to go from having the second-lowest corporate tax rate in New England to the second-highest (based on Tax Foundation rankings). The incoming House speaker initially expressed opposition to the idea, only to backtrack in an interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader.  […]

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Strong economy delivers gifts for everyone

Merry Christmas, New Hampshire.  The strong economy has brought gifts for all the girls and boys of the Granite State. It has been dropping jobs and money like Santa dropping misfit toys. The New Hampshire Department of Employment Security reported on Monday that the state’s unemployment rate fell to 2.5 percent in November. The state […]