Members of the Granite State Fair Tax Coalition are happy with votes in 10 communities on Tuesday to send a nonbinding a resolution to state lawmakers and the governor to end "the Pledge" many have taken against no new taxes and asking them to look for alternatives to ever-increasing property taxes.

The non-binding "Fair Tax Resolution" received 74 percent of the votes in all 10 communities and will result in a letter being sent to the governor and state legislators representing Allenstown, Claremont, Kingston, Lebanon, Littleton, New Hampton, North Hampton, Pelham, Rye, and Swanzey.

Valerie Fraser, a New Hampton resident, said she petitioned to have the Fair Tax resolution added to the New Hampton Town Warrant because she thinks the state needs other ways to raise revenue instead continuing to increase property taxes.

"The state of New Hampshire receives 65 percent of its income from property taxes. It's the highest percentage in the country," Fraser said, adding that New Jersey is the state that gets next highest portion of its revenues — 45 percent — from property taxes.

"Its time has come: This property tax issue has been unfair in our country for more than 200 years," Fraser said.

Fraser said she does not support any type of broad-based tax in particular but she wants state lawmakers to at least consider other tax methods.

The Fair Tax Coalition said the 10 resolutions will add to the 72 communities that passed the same resolution in 2007 and 2008.

"This should resonate as a loud call to our leaders for exploring all options to reduce New Hampshire's second-highest-in-the-nation property taxes," Rev. William Exner of Goffstown, president of the Fair Tax Coalition, said. "We must put a stop to the endless increases to the property tax that have become an unfair, unjust Granite State way of doing business."

A recent Granite State poll conducted by the UNH Survey Center found that only three percent of voters statewide believe that an increase in the property tax is the right way to deal with the state's funding shortfalls. The poll was conducted by the Survey Center by phone between Feb. 5 and 9 when 619 randomly selected New Hampshire adults were interviewed. The poll has a margin of sampling error of +/-3.9 percent.

One question in the poll, about the state's budget crisis, asked participants to choose among revenue options. Forty percent chose legalized gambling, 25 percent chose a sales tax, 19 percent said an income tax, three percent favored increasing the property tax and six percent favored cutting state spending.

On the opposite side of tax spectrum is the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition which is opposed to new taxes in New Hampshire, including broad-based taxes such those on income and sales.

Matt Murphy, director of the Advantage Coalition, said they also are against any further raising of property taxes, promoting instead limited state and local spending.

Murphy said the nonbinding Fair Tax resolutions do nothing and have been worded in a confusing manner.

The resolution from the Fair Tax Coalition states, "We the citizens of this town believe in a New Hampshire that is just and fair. The property tax has become unjust and unfair. State leaders who take a pledge for no new taxes perpetuate higher and higher property taxes. We call on our State Representatives, our State Senators and our Governor to reject the 'Pledge,' have an open discussion covering all options, and adopt a revenue system that lowers property taxes."

"The way they [the Fair Tax Coalition] word it is not specific. Sure, everyone wants a 'just and fair' tax system, but what is just and fair?" Murphy said. "If they added the words broadbase, sales tax and income take to the resolution, would so many people have voted for it? I don't think so."

Murphy said New Hampshire's lack of a sales or income tax is the reason why so many businesses flock to state.

"It's an advantage to businesses and people in the state, one that we can't afford to lose," Murphy said.

Murphy said the only way to address the state budget crisis is to drastically cut spending and, in the future, only pay for what it can afford.

"If we can't afford something, we just don't do it, or we go into debt or declare bankruptcy," Murphy said. "But if the state can't afford something, they just tax us more. That's not fair to anyone working today."

Murphy said his organization tries to encourage municipalities and the state government to introduce spending caps. He said that, on average, government spending in New Hampshire has doubled in the last 10 years.

In his hometown of Hampstead, Murphy said, they experienced a spending growth of nearly 30 percent between 2003 and 2008, the same rate of growth as spending in Salem during the same time period.

The Advantage Coalition had five out of six communities pass spending cap warrant articles.

Spending cap warrants appeared on the ballot in the towns of Kingston, Hampstead, Allenstown, Salem, Hudson and Rindge with only the Hudson warrant article not passing.

The Fair Tax Coalition said the only way to stabilize or lower ever-increasing property taxes is to find alternative revenue sources.

"We need to find a new way of making sure that everybody pays their share," said Alexander Lee, the Fair Tax Coalitions's field organizer.

Bob Landman of North Hampton, one of two of Seacoast Area communities to pass the nonbinding resolution, said that, as a former planning board member and a current water commissioner, he sees the toll that increasing property taxes takes on residents.

"I see everyone being squeezed by high property taxes, especially those living on fixed or limited incomes," Landman said.

The Citizen of Laconia