Tom Thomson submits a column on New Hampshire’s newest tax, the LLC Tax, for the Union Leader.

1. We are in a national recession with 10 percent unemployment. No one can deny that the men and women who run our small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They are ones who provide the jobs, yet this 5 percent tax will only help to kill jobs in New Hampshire.

This is not job creation; it’s job elimination! Recently, one owner of an LLC said to me, “I am working nearly 24/7 and there isn’t any more money to be made. Any additional tax will force me to lay off employees or go out of business.”

2. I have looked into what the DRA calls “more transparency” on this issue, and I am appalled at what I have learned.

The DRA comment period for this tax ends Dec. 28, three days after Christmas. Only after calling DRA and asking about public hearings did I learn that they will only have one public hearing on the rules on this important tax. When implemented, this tax will cost LLCs and partnerships $15 million in each year of fiscal years 2010 and 2011. You can review the proposed rules at www.nh.gov/revenue.