Last month, NJ Gov. Chris Christie put his money where his mouth is. After the legislature passed a $1 billion tax increase, it took the governor less than two minutes to veto.

But some Democrats in the legislature appear keen on attempting to override the governor's veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber. They would need to peel off four Republicans in the Senate and seven in the Assembly to reverse the governor's principled decision. In a letter to lawmakers, Grover wrote:

This bill, which would have increased the top personal income tax rate from 8.9 percent to 10.8 percent, is an extension of the flawed logic that revenue, rather than overspending, is the problem in the Garden State. In reality, inflation-adjusted state spending increased nearly one-third between 1997 and 2007. That willingness to spend frivolously regardless of economic reality resulted in the $10 billion budget hole you must confront today. This $1 billion tax increase would simply extend the Corzine legacy of high taxes to fund bloated public employee compensation, a failed school funding mechanism, and a culture of waste, fraud and abuse.

For those of you who have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a vote to override the governor’s veto is a violation of that Pledge.

To read the whole letter, see below.

June 7, 2010

Dear Legislator:

New Jersey is at a crossroads. Facing a $10 billion budget shortfall, state government can either continue the Corzine legacy of tax increases to fund rampant overspending, or it can bring government in line with economic reality, reduce spending and bring the budget into balance without raising taxes. Gov. Christie took a step in the right direction last month when he vetoed a $1 billion tax hike on high income earners. I urge you to uphold that veto and continue to work to find long-term, sustainable solutions to New Jersey’s budget mess.

This bill, which would have increased the top personal income tax rate from 8.9 percent to 10.8 percent, is an extension of the flawed logic that revenue, rather than overspending, is the problem in the Garden State. In reality, inflation-adjusted state spending increased nearly one-third between 1997 and 2007. That willingness to spend frivolously regardless of economic reality resulted in the $10 billion budget hole you must confront today. This $1 billion tax increase would simply extend the Corzine legacy of high taxes to fund bloated public employee compensation, a failed school funding mechanism, and a culture of waste, fraud and abuse.

For those of you who have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a vote to override the governor’s veto is a violation of that Pledge.

Tax increases are a redundant failure in New Jersey. Between 2002 and 2009 residents saw their tax bill increase $2,601 per capita, yet the state budget remains in perpetual flux. Because of government’s repeated targeting of high earners, the state is losing population in droves. In 2004, New Jersey increased the top income tax rate, levied on those earning more than $500,000. Over the next four years, the state saw a net decline in household wealth of $70 billion. Between 1999 and 2008, the Garden State lost nearly 419,000 residents to other states. We can expect an exacerbation of that trend should the governor’s veto of this bill be reversed.

I urge you to stand with Gov. Christie on this important issue, uphold his veto, and pursue some of the commonsense reforms he has proposed. State cuts to local aid are necessary. A cap on the growth of local property taxes would give homeowners some much-needed relief. And a moratorium on all tax increases is a no-brainer. Momentum is growing in New Jersey in the movement to reform the way state government does business. I urge you to uphold this principled veto and join that movement, rather than work to oppose it.

Onward,

Grover Norquist

Posted by Joshua Culling on Monday, June 7, 2010 1:08 PM EDT

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