Nov. 30 — To the Editor:
The apparent growing support for casino gambling in New Hampshire would seem to be an acknowledgement by all concerned that there is a need to increase state revenues.
The question then arises: Is casino gambling the best way of doing this? For years now, the choice has been expanded gambling or some kind of broad-based tax, so the next question should be — given that any of these choices will likely raise substantial money — which of the choices has the most negatives.
A sales tax casts a heavier burden on those least able to pay it. Unless you are going to rule out a tax on food, home heating oil, etc., low-income people generally pay a higher percentage of their income for necessities than the rest of the population. It is a regressive tax for the same reason that our property tax is unfair and regressive.
The downside of casino gambling is well known: the personal and social cost of gambling addiction, potential criminal activity, the influx of "big money" from outside N.H. to influence political decisions, and for many residents an overall downgrading of our quality of life. Unless the operation is going to be state-owned, the so-called "gambling interests" will reap huge profits (for a while, at least. Experience in some areas of the country is showing that the pot of gold promised by casinos tends to fade away after a while, resulting in reduced income to the state, job layoffs, etc.).
And then there is the income tax. The only genuine drawback to an income tax — other than its bogeyman status in N.H. — is that some people who can afford to do so will have to pay some of their money to maintain the quality of our university system, the safety of our highways, the quality of our state parks, and so many more of our public programs and services that have gone wanting for so many years.
Unfortunately, our new governor has painted us all into a corner on this issue, which practically guarantees that, regardless of all the bad things that casinos could bring to N.H., the state will have little or no option as we struggle to meet even the basic financial needs of our citizens.
Anthony McManus
Dover
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