Calling it nothing more than income tax ploy, Sununu vetoes family leave bill

NH Gov. Chris Sununu (Courtesy photo)

CONCORD - Today, Governor Chris Sununu vetoed HB 712, a paid Family and Medical Leave bill, a bill the governor characterized as nothing more than a Democrat bid for a state income tax.

"For the second time in as many years, the Democrats have put this legislation, which would establish a state income tax, on my desk," said Governor Chris Sununu. "Proponents have dug deep into their thesauruses to engage in linguistic gymnastics to characterize the income tax contained in this program as something other than what everyone clearly recognizes it to be. Whether one chooses to characterize it as a "premium on wages" or a "payroll deduction," the reality remains that if it looks like an income tax, functions like an income tax, and takes more money out of the paychecks of hard working taxpayers like an income tax, then it is an income tax."

In his veto statement, Gov. Sununu scoffed at Democrats attempt to masquerade the bill as something other than a state income tax. He added that family medical leave is important to him, but Democrats refused to collaborate although he offered many alternative plans.

"Rather than deliver an important opportunity for New Hampshire residents, the legislature has insisted on trying to once again to pass more taxes onto the citizen of our state," Sununu said. "Neither I nor the people of New Hampshire will ever support an income tax."

A key requirement of the bill would be that employers would have to remit Family Medial Leave premium payments in an amount of 0.5 percent of wages per employee per week for each week of the preceding quarter, something Sununu could not abide.

His Democrat gubernatorial opponents state Sen. Dan Feltes and Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky who were in favor of the bill were not immediately available for comment.

Later in the afternoon he vetoed two more bills, one that would continue to prohibit evictions and foreclosures; and one relative to absentee voting the governor has said would weaken New Hampshire election laws.