Jonathan Adam Kiper
Running for: NH Governor
Jon Kiper is a restaurant owner with local government experience. In his campaign announcement video he said, "As a lifelong resident, a single dad, and a small business owner, I understand New Hampshire's economy, and I've got a plan to fight inflation." His website focuses on increasing affordable housing and reworking New Hampshire's education funding system.
Position on Issues
For| Read My Position
Candidate's Website, 2024
"To combat inflation effectively, it's imperative that we prioritize the construction of affordable housing. Housing costs are a significant driver of expenses for the average consumer. Yet, in New Hampshire, many town planning boards and Zoning Board of Adjustments (ZBAs) have shown hesitation in greenlighting projects focused on workforce housing and starter homes for the youth. A predominant concern is the potential increase in local property tax bills due to families with children."
Against| Read My Position
Candidate's Website, 2024
"2. The Challenge with Local Education Funding: The reluctance stems from NH's current system, where local education is predominantly funded through property taxes. At present, municipalities bear 60% of the educational expenses for the children in their communities. This model leads to regressive taxation, where poorer towns face substantially higher tax rates than their affluent counterparts.
"3. The Fluid Nature of Education:
"Education isn't confined to the boundaries of a town. Consider Newington, where individuals from towns like Newmarket and Rochester work at retail establishments like BestBuy. These towns contribute to educating the workforce of Newington and their children. Given education's broader societal benefits, a significant portion of its funding should derive from a statewide pool instead of depending heavily on individual town's property taxes. This approach would lower taxes in many municipalities.
"4. Proposed Changes to the Funding System:
"It's advisable to reduce the local education component of the property tax to cover only 15-20% of the total education funding. To bridge this financial gap, which amounts to approximately $1.5 billion, we can enhance the existing state funding sources without necessarily introducing new taxes.
"5. Busting the Myth of No Sales & Income Tax in NH:
"Contrary to popular belief, NH isn't devoid of sales or income taxes. For instance, as a restaurant owner, I collect the NH Rooms and Meals Tax, which functions as a sales tax. Furthermore, the NH Business Enterprise Tax and the Business Profits Tax are both forms of income tax. We should restructure these existing taxes to reduce the burden on local property tax payers.
"6. Business-Centric Proposal for Funding Education:
"I propose shifting from businesses covering extensive local property taxes for education to enhancing the Business Enterprise and Profits Taxes to feed into a statewide education fund. This would be more beneficial for businesses as their taxation would then hinge on profits rather than property value."
Other| Read My Position
Candidate's Website, 2024
"Contrary to popular belief, NH isn't devoid of sales or income taxes. For instance, as a restaurant owner, I collect the NH Rooms and Meals Tax, which functions as a sales tax. Furthermore, the NH Business Enterprise Tax and the Business Profits Tax are both forms of income tax. We should restructure these existing taxes to reduce the burden on local property tax payers."
Other| Read My Position
Candidate's Website, 2024
"Contrary to popular belief, NH isn't devoid of sales or income taxes. For instance, as a restaurant owner, I collect the NH Rooms and Meals Tax, which functions as a sales tax. Furthermore, the NH Business Enterprise Tax and the Business Profits Tax are both forms of income tax. We should restructure these existing taxes to reduce the burden on local property tax payers."
Against| Read My Position
Candidate's Website, 2024
"Increased Corporate Taxes for Education: Advocate for raising the corporate tax rate, especially on large, highly profitable companies like Walmart, Amazon, and Comcast. Earmark a portion of these increased taxes for education funding. This would help to reduce the reliance on property taxes for school funding."
For| Read My Position
Candidate's Website, 2024
"Economic Benefits for New Hampshire: Legalizing cannabis can lead to a significant increase in state revenue, driven primarily by cannabis taxes. This, coupled with the local job opportunities generated within the cannabis sector, could provide a considerable boost to New Hampshire's economy. Furthermore, the potential to develop a thriving cannabis tourism sector can also serve as an economic catalyst, enhancing the state's existing tourist attractions.
"Health Implications for Granite Staters: By introducing regulated cannabis products, we can ensure the safety and quality that New Hampshire citizens expect. Beyond recreational use, acknowledging the therapeutic potentials of cannabis can pave the way for alternative medical treatments. Importantly, legal cannabis offers another potential tool in our fight against the state's ongoing opioid crisis, providing a less harmful alternative for pain management and other conditions.
"Societal Benefits for the Community: Legalization will allow our law enforcement to prioritize more pressing issues, ensuring safer communities by focusing on more severe crimes. Additionally, we can anticipate a reduction in the number of incarcerations for non-violent cannabis-related offenses, which will relieve some of the current strains on New Hampshire’s judicial and prison systems.
"Investing in New Hampshire's Bright Future: The revenue generated from cannabis can offer a consistent funding source for critical addiction and mental health services. This would enable us to enhance and update our treatment facilities, ensuring top-notch care for those who need it. This additional funding will aid in continued growth of resources as well as encouraging higher rates of mental health workers."
