By Jesse Lore
As a New Hampshire business owner, I’m supposed to cheer every time Concord proposes a tax cut. But House Bill 155 deserves something very different: a hard look and a firm “no.”
HB 155 would cut the Business Enterprise Tax by 0.05%. On paper, that sounds “pro-business.” In reality, it’s a distraction that saves most businesses pennies while pulling an estimated $23 million out of an already strained state budget.
Jesse Lore
For Green Wave, my car dealership on the Seacoast that sold about 500 cars in 2025, our Business Enterprise Tax bill is less than $10,000. The proposed cut would save me so little that I’ll likely pay my accountant more to understand the change than I’ll ever see back. That’s not an exaggeration — it’s the reality for most businesses like mine.
So let me be clear: This debate distracts from the real work New Hampshire needs done.
Even if you cut my taxes by 10%, I’d tell you to keep it. Invest it in our schools. Invest it in workforce housing. Invest it in clean energy, infrastructure and child care. Those are the things that actually determine whether my business — and New Hampshire’s economy — can grow.
The biggest barriers to doing business in this state are not tax rates. They’re workforce shortages, housing costs, underfunded public education and the lack of affordable child care. HB 155 does nothing to address those problems. In fact, it makes them worse by draining revenue from the very systems businesses and workers depend on.
Fewer than 10% of New Hampshire businesses pay meaningful business taxes, and a tiny fraction pay the bulk of them. Most small businesses will see no real benefit from this bill at all. Meanwhile, communities will feel the impact when state aid falls, property taxes rise and public investments get pushed further out of reach.
We’ve tried this approach before. Corporate tax cuts have not delivered stronger growth or better outcomes for New Hampshire compared to our neighbors. What they have delivered is tighter local budgets and higher pressure on working families.
If lawmakers are serious about supporting business, they should stop chasing symbolic tax cuts and start investing in the foundations of a strong economy: a skilled workforce, affordable places to live, reliable infrastructure and an education system that prepares the next generation.
HB 155 may look like a win on a spreadsheet. From the ground, where businesses actually operate, it’s a loss we can’t afford.
Jesse Lore is the founder and CEO of Green Wave Electric Vehicles in Portsmouth and a longtime advocate for accessible transportation and inclusive economic growth. He serves on the New Hampshire Governor’s State Coordinating Council for Community Transportation and has spent his career working with businesses, regulators, and nonprofits to expand mobility and opportunity. Jesse is a resident of Portsmouth.
HB 155 would cut the Business Enterprise Tax by 0.05%. On paper, that sounds “pro-business.” In reality, it’s a distraction that saves most businesses pennies while pulling an estimated $23 million out of an already strained state budget, says small business owner Jesse Lore.
As 2025 comes to an end, many Granite Staters are feeling the same things. Groceries cost more. Housing costs and property taxes are up. Health care is harder to afford and access.
Warrenstreet Architects, Inc. recently announced the completion of the new Rockingham County Municipal Building, a 110,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility located at 94 North Road in Brentwood, NH.
Two New Hampshire child care centers will share more than $1 million in federal grants to expand and address the state’s child care shortage.
A report from Gov. Kelly Ayotte's Commission on Government Efficiency suggests an end to the PDA and transitioning its functions to other state agencies
Lebanon. Keene. Nashua. Antrim. Newmarket. Salem. Those are just a handful of New Hampshire communities that are taking innovative approaches to create more housing, as cited during a forum Dec. 12 at Saint Anselm College in Manchester.
The bipartisan Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Price Transparency and Accountability would break the link between PBM compensation and drug price, and lower prescription costs, advocates say.
Despite some angst that the Trump Administration might vaporize the money, funds are coming to New Hampshire to expand broadband internet access throughout the state, although the amount isn’t what was originally allocated
The New England region was one of only four in the United States to experience economic expansion during October and early November, according to the latest "Beige Book" report of the Federal Reserve. The report said the outlook for future economic growth was "cautiously optimistic" for the six-state region. But it expressed ongoing downside concerns about the labor market.
