Should New Hampshire Lawmakers Tax Skiing?

The debate over to enact a tax on skiing is heating up as outdoor enthusiasts wax up for another season on the slopes.

With the first snowfall of the season in the forecast for most of the Granite State, lawmakers are deciding whether your next run down the slops will be taxed. According to the NHHouseGOP.com, LSR 2020-2578 is a proposal that would include ski area ticket sales under the meals and rooms tax. Finer details of the bill are not available. According to the site, LSRs are the preliminary stages of proposed legislation, which are later issued a bill number. LSR 2020-2578 is sponsored by Rep. Craig Thompson (D-Harrisville), and co-sponsored by a number of other Democratic lawmakers.

However, there is already major opposition. House Republican Leader Dick Hinch said in a statement “Just as the snow guns are firing up on our state’s ski mountains, Democrats are launching this effort to tax one of our state’s most important industries. There has never been a tax on skiing, and this is an unprecedented attempt to single out an industry.” Hinch concluded his statement with "Next thing you know, they will propose a tax on hiking or a leaf-peeping tax."

Again, no word if this will come to fruition, as it is in the preliminary stages. Skiing is one of the New Hampshire largest winter revenue generators, should it be taxed?