In response to the NH Supreme Court's Claremont II ruling, the NH legislature has been giving the state's tax system an overhaul, seeking ways to fund education. Property taxes have been central in the debate, while current use remains untouched and the strong, effective program it has been for the last twenty-five years.
Apple trees brighten the fall landscape.
Under this plan, the current use program undergoes no changes. Landowners with property enrolled in current use are treated the same way as all other landowners. While the assessed value of land enrolled in current use won't change, the overall tax bill a landowner pays will increase or decrease based on the new statewide property tax. While current use landowners have much to celebrate, S.P.A.C.E. must caution that the debate over the state's tax structure is far from over. As the S.P.A.C.E. newsletter goes to press, it is uncertain if this money will be found, and if it is found, whether it will come from spending cuts or new tax revenue.