CONCORD – Today House Republican Leader Gene Chandler (R-Bartlett) and House Republican Policy Leader Laurie Sanborn (R-Bedford) offered the following statements on the committee vote on HB617, a bill that would raise the gas tax. The House Ways and Means committee voted 11-7 to recommend the bill ought to pass with amendment. The committee amendment would raise the gas tax by 67%. Republicans on the committee were unanimous in their opposition to the bill.
House Republican Leader Gene Chandler (R-Bartlett)
“Taking hundreds of millions of dollars out of the pockets of New Hampshire consumers during these tough economic times is not the appropriate solution to fixing our roads and bridges. Quite simply, this is the wrong bill at the wrong time. I’m happy the Republicans on Ways and Means stuck with New Hampshire families and small businesses by voting against this bill.”
“It is also important to note that before we start imposing tax increases we need to make sure we are complying with all state laws and the Constitution to assure that the appropriate amount of highway fund monies are actually going to fix our highways. The legislature’s reluctance to follow the law shouldn’t result in a multimillion dollar tax increase for the taxpayer.”
House Republican Policy Leader Laurie Sanborn (R-Bedford)
“We are very concerned about the impact of a gas tax increase on the working families and small businesses in our state during these tough economic times. Now is not the time to be discouraging economic growth. We need to focus on getting the 40,000 people in New Hampshire who are looking for work back to work. Further burdening our business community and forcing our consumers to pay more at the pump is a step in the wrong direction.”