House GOP members and conservatives held a mock funeral for the Interest and Dividends Tax, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn), who had pushed to speed up the tax’s repeal, joined the event. The repeal puts New Hampshire among a small group of states with no personal income tax, the outlet noted.
The event marked a milestone in a years-long Republican push to eliminate the state’s last tax on personal income. As the New Hampshire Union Leader reported, the repeal of the Interest and Dividends Tax left New Hampshire among a small group of states with no broad personal income tax, a point GOP leaders highlighted at the ceremony.
As the New Hampshire Union Leader reported, the end of the tax marked a notable milestone for the state’s standing on taxation.
New Hampshire will become the eighth state in the nation with no personal income tax.
the New Hampshire Union Leader
Osborne offered colorful remarks at the event, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader, casting the repeal against the broader regional tax landscape.
“I like to call it the insidious and despicable tax …It’s critical that we stay a shining beacon of hope while our Northeast neighbors pile on the bad policies.
the New Hampshire Union Leader
Osborne, who led the 2023 effort to accelerate the repeal, marked the occasion with characteristic humor.
“This is my favorite funeral I have ever been at,” said House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, R-Auburn, who led the campaign in 2023 to push forward by two years the timetable for getting rid of the tax.
Jason Osborne
As the New Hampshire Union Leader reported, the repeal of the 3 percent Interest and Dividends Tax came off the books entirely that week, with House Speaker Sherman Packard noting it left New Hampshire and Alaska as the only states without either a general sales or income tax. The outlet noted the ceremonial event was sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, where Packard dropped the repeal bill into a mock coffin, while Democratic leaders warned about the loss of revenue the tax had brought in.
The full story at the New Hampshire Union Leader details the mock funeral, the timeline for ending the tax, and Osborne’s role in moving up the repeal by two years.
For Republicans, the moment carried symbolic weight as they marked the end of a tax they had long targeted. The celebration, as the New Hampshire Union Leader reported, drew both fanfare from supporters and warnings from Democrats about the revenue the state would forgo in the years ahead.
The repeal capped a multiyear effort that Republicans accelerated, and the New Hampshire Union Leader reported that leaders used the occasion to draw a contrast with neighboring states. Supporters argued the change strengthened the state’s competitive position, while Democratic leaders warned about the impact of forgoing the revenue the tax had generated in recent years.
The Speaker underscored how the change set New Hampshire apart from nearly every other state.
House Speaker Sherman Packard, R-Londonderry, said this further sets the state apart, joining Alaska as the only two without either a general sales or an income tax.
the New Hampshire Union Leader
Read the full story at the New Hampshire Union Leader.
