NH House Republicans Press Ahead on Property Tax Relief Package

CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire House Republicans are renewing their push for House Bill 675, known as the “Property Tax Relief Act,” as the measure returns to the House floor following review and approval by the House Finance Committee.

HB 675, which cleared its policy committee earlier this session before being referred to Finance, would limit annual school district budget growth using objective economic measures and require a two-thirds vote of local legislative bodies for districts seeking to exceed those limits. Supporters say the bill is aimed at slowing the steady rise in property taxes driven largely by education spending, while preserving a path for voters to approve higher spending when there is broad community support.

The bill has some divisions within the Republican caucus. Fourteen House Republicans previously voted against the legislation, citing concerns that it could infringe on local control. However, multiple House GOP sources say that opposition has narrowed as constituent pressure around property taxes has intensified.

Recent polling appears to have reinforced that shift. A November survey by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center found that a majority of voters support limiting school budget increases to the rate of inflation by 21%, with support particularly strong among Republicans and independents. Democratic voters, by contrast, largely oppose such caps.

House Republican leaders say those numbers mirror what they are hearing from homeowners facing continued property tax increases despite record levels of state education funding.

House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) has pointed to the findings of the Governor’s Commission on Government Efficiency as reinforcing the case for reform. While HB 675 was filed before the commission released its report, Republicans say the findings underscored concerns the bill was already intended to address, including weak oversight, layered administration, and structural incentives that allow spending to grow faster than household incomes.

The commission was handpicked by Governor Kelly Ayotte, and its report has been cited by supporters as validation of the need to restore clearer limits and voter accountability in education governance.

At the center of the debate is a broader philosophical divide. Some lawmakers argue that local control should remain absolute, even when it results in rapid property tax increases. Others contend that the state has a responsibility to protect taxpayers from systemic pressures that make higher property taxes the default outcome year after year.

Democrats have sought to capitalize on the property tax issue heading into the next election cycle by proposing to offset local tax increases through higher or expanded state taxes. Republicans argue that approach shifts the burden rather than addressing what they see as the underlying driver of rising property taxes: unchecked growth in local education spending despite declining enrollment.