Will the 2019 New Jersey State budget pass and get signed by Governor Murphy on time or will there be a shutdown of our state government?
The Senate President, Steve Sweeney, and the governor do not see eye to eye on the budget for the 2019 fiscal year. Governor Murphy wants to “raise nearly $1.7 billion, mostly through higher income taxes on millionaires and higher sales taxes. The income tax would raise $765 million and the sales tax would bring in $581 million a year, according to administration calculations.” Sweeney and the legislators have, “proposed alternatives such as a two-year increase in corporate taxes that lawmakers say would bring in $805 million this year.”
Per Northjersey.com, “Both sides do agree on the need to raise taxes and spend more on aid to underfunded schools, NJ Transit subsidies and a larger payment to the state’s troubled pension fund.” So they are in agreement that there is a need in their minds that taxes need to be raised; something that the typical New Jerseyan knows is just the wrong thing to do.
Somehow neither of the parties involved in negotiations do not have any ideas that don’t involve raising our taxes. They both do not understand that what must happen is that taxes must go down for both the individual taxpayer and for businesses. When that happens I know that local and state revenue will go up in the long term because more money will be generated by the new businesses attracted by our new business friendly polices and the trend of people leaving New Jersey will be reversed with more coming in than leaving.
It is common knowledge that this state is that both business climate unfriendly and for the taxpayer the situation is badly hurting the people of this great state. Why the governor can not see this is beyond my understanding and I hope yours. Sweeney has seen the light somewhat and now realizes that the legislators can not keep raising taxes, for if they do no one will be left to pay them in the not too distant future.
Just why Governor Murphy is insisting that it is his way or the state government will shutdown without any real negotiations between his office and the legislature is just plain foolish to me. Since he does not really have any political experience, Murphy does not know that he is actually damaging his relationship with his fellow Democrats and can not fathom why he won’t get everything the way he wants to.
Until the governor learns about the give and take of politics, he and the legislature will lock horns on what the 2019 budget will be.
That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike
