Democratic Legislature Set to Raise Taxes Four Times in as Many Years
WASHINGTON – The New Jersey legislature is set to raise taxes for the fourth year in a row as lawmakers take up a sweeping expansion of the sales tax base. Music downloaders, landscapers, private investigators, tattoo artists, messengers, couriers, masseurs, and tanning salon owners would be subject to the tax if the plan succeeds.
However, New Jersey is awash in new tax revenues. Over the last four years, New Jersey has raised taxes more than any state in the nation. The total cost of these tax increases is $924 for every man woman, and child per year. Conversely, the average increase in the other 49 states over this same period is only $143 per capita.
“New Jersey has raised taxes more than any other state in the nation to finance wasteful government spending, said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Another tax increase is both unnecessary and counterproductive.”
The real cause of New Jersey’s budgetary problems is the profligate spending ways of the government. Spending last year increased 17 percent more than 3 times growth of family income. The legislature has also increased new debt by $12 billion over the past four years. This new tax increase proposal will do nothing to solve the underlying problems of irresponsible spending and corruption.
Norquist added, “New Jersey politicians have already shown they cannot be responsible with taxpayer dollars. The last thing to do is to reward them with additional tax revenue.”