NH Leaders Cite Health Care, Taxes and Energy Costs Top Concerns

High health care costs and business taxes continue to be among the top concerns of New Hampshire business and opinion leaders. Other concerns included high energy costs, an inability to attract and retain skilled technical workers, and the lack of affordable housing in the state, as top business challenges in a series of roundtable discussions conducted last month by the Business and Industry Association and local chambers of commerce.

The roundtables were the first step in BIA's annual, four-step policy development process that will culminate in a public policy agenda for 2013. The BIA and chamber partners conducted nine roundtables around the state. The roundtables were open to all business leaders.

Business leaders continue facing complex issues like health care premium costs, energy costs and high business taxes, said BIA President Jim Roche. They all point to the difficult challenge of operating a successful business in today's competitive, global marketplace. Many of these issues don't lend themselves to quick solutions. Nonetheless, they are foremost on the minds of New Hampshire business owners, managers and senior executives. Consequently, we'll continue working to resolve them.

BIA is currently conducting the second phase of its policy development process, a BIA-member survey based on the roundtable results. After the survey is completed, BIA's five policy committees, comprised of and led by volunteers from BIA member companies, will analyze the survey results and recommend specific issues and action steps to BIA's board of directors. In the final step of the process, the BIA board will establish a public policy agenda in time for the 2013 legislative session.