New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu on Monday suggested that courts could ultimately strike down special rules from Massachusetts to levy taxes on out-of-state commuters working from home during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think the laws are very clear — they clearly created a special rule to try to thwart the existing law,” Mr. Sununu, a Republican, said on CNBC.
“If people are living here in New Hampshire, if they’re residents of New Hampshire, if they’re working here six months plus a day, the majority of their time here they should be taxed as if they are here and they are here,” Mr. Sununu said. “These special rules — they never seem to go very far in the Supreme Court.”
New Hampshire recently announced it would investigate whether other states such as Massachusetts are improperly collecting income tax on its residents.
The move came after Massachusetts issued an emergency order earlier this year requiring out-of-state commuters working from home because of the coronavirus pandemic to continue to be assessed income taxes.
It’s less than an hour’s drive between Boston, Mass. and parts of southeastern New Hampshire.
New Hampshire does not have an income tax on reportable wages, though it does collect taxes on dividends.
“They’re going to want to try to pull every dollar they can, but we’re going to stand up for our citizens and do the right thing,” Mr. Sununu said.
Mr. Sununu said he has talked about the issue with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican.
“We’re not lucky for not having taxes — we have fought hard to create a New Hampshire advantage,” Mr. Sununu said. “We’re going to defend our citizens and defend our businesses.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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