Governor Phil Murphy’s Insane Budget , “does nothing to encourage New Jersey families to stay in the Garden State”

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, Governor Phil Murphy presented his budget proposal  and its the biggest budget in NJ history $40.9 billion  raising spending by 5.5%.

Senate Republican Leader Tom Kean said Governor Phil Murphy’s budget proposal for FY 2021 does nothing to encourage New Jersey families to stay in the Garden State.

“Anyone who’s looking for a plan to make New Jersey more affordable will be disappointed by a budget proposal from Governor Murphy that raises taxes and makes no effort to constrain costs,” said Kean (R-21). “In a year when state revenues are booming, the governor’s spending plan represents a missed opportunity to demonstrate fiscal discipline and provide real tax relief to New Jerseyans.”

The governor’s budget proposal would increase year-over-year spending by 5.5% through nearly $1 billion in higher income, business, and cigarette taxes.

Kean said New Jersey is desperate for a budget that addresses the disturbing trend of college students, graduates, families, and seniors leaving the Garden State.

“If the governor continues driving taxes higher and shunning reforms proposed by the Legislature to cut the cost of government, we’re going to see a continued exodus from New Jersey,” added Kean. “Make no mistake, this budget is a continuation of disastrous fiscal policies that are breaking up too many of our families. This proposal doesn’t move the needle on giving people a reason to stay in New Jersey.”

Senator Joe Pennacchio said Governor Phil Murphy’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget proposed today does nothing to make New Jersey more affordable for residents frustrated by high taxes.

“This was a failure by the Murphy Administration to address the state’s affordability crisis. At $40.85 billion, this budget is heavy on dollars, but light on sense.

“As tax-battered residents are fleeing the state in record numbers, as evidenced by study after study citing New Jerseyans by the thousands giving up and moving away, what we needed more than anything was a responsible revenue plan and meaningful spending cuts. Instead, Murphy is giving us new and higher taxes, and boosting the cost of government to historic levels.

“The Governor’s budget shows a $1.6 billion surplus. Why in the world would we want to raise taxes an additional billion dollars? Why increase the budget twice the cost of living?

“Yet funding for special education students was held to the same level as last year. Why dismiss our most vulnerable children in this year’s budget. It’s not fair. It’s not right. It ain’t New Jersey.

“New taxes are not the answer. The crippling burdens of unfunded pension obligations and under-funded school districts can only be addressed through significant and systematic changes.  The path to affordability demands strong leadership and hard decisions.

“We know what we will get when the Governor insists on doing the same things and expecting a different outcome.”

Senator Anthony M. Bucco released the following statement after Governor Phil Murphy proposed his Fiscal Year 2021 budget in a Joint Session of the Legislature.

“This was a missed opportunity for a more affordable state for taxpayers. At $40.85 billion, this budget reflects an increase of more than 5 percent over the FY 2020 budget passed last year.

“Residents are fleeing the state in record numbers, as evidenced by study after study. This was the time to start giving people hope for a more affordable New Jersey and give them a reason to stay.

“This budget gives us new and higher taxes, and boosts the cost of government to historic levels. The state should be living within its means, not continuing the failed tax-and-spend policies of the past.”

Senator Steven Oroho (R-24) said the massive $40 billion budget proposed by Governor Phil Murphy for FY 2021 demonstrates the critical need to advance structural reforms to lower the cost of government in New Jersey.

“Governor Murphy spending plan is 5% larger than last year’s and 18% higher than when he took office,” said Oroho, the Senate Republican Budget Officer. “He’s already raised taxes by billions and proposed nearly a billion more in tax increases this year. What we haven’t seen from the governor is a genuine attempt to lower the real cost drivers in government.”

Oroho served as co-chair of the Economic & Fiscal Policy Workgroup which produced a comprehensive and bipartisan plan to achieve billions in savings for the State, county, and municipal governments.

“Governor Murphy is nibbling around the edges of healthcare costs, but he’s not taking the steps needed to make real reductions that would produce savings for taxpayers,” added Oroho. “Until he starts working with the Legislature to enact bona fide structural reforms, including addressing the rising costs of public employee pension and health benefits, the burden on taxpayers will just keep growing and the out-migration from New Jersey will continue.”

Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce issued the following statement on Gov. Murphy’s budget address

I was disappointed in Gov. Murphy’s budget address today because I don’t believe increasing spending by another $2 billion and raising taxes and fees is going to help the hard-working, middle class families of this state; nor will his proposals create jobs or stem the flight of individuals and business from New Jersey.

The governor’s fiscal blueprint would give our state a $41 billion budget for FY 2021, which is $6.2 billion higher than when he came to office less than three years ago. That represents spending growth of 18 percent per year. Governor Murphy is driving the state’s financial bus in the wrong direction. In a state screaming for tax relief, there was not one sentence in his address that called for cutting spending on anything. Sadly, his progressive agenda of more spending is simply unsustainable no matter how many rich people you tax.

The governor mentioned the middle class many times in his speech but I cannot find one thing in his remarks that will lift the tax burden on middle class, working families, who are reaching their financial breaking point.

It is ironic that the governor, who says one of his top priorities is to attract business to the state is promoting policies that add another tax on corporations – the corporate responsibility tax — and again lobbying for a tax on top earners who own businesses and create jobs. Increasing corporate taxes will not help New Jersey attract business investment.

New Jersey needs real, sustainable property tax relief and to get that, we will have to reform the way that government operates. We will have to reform our pension and benefits programs and begin the task of cutting spending, or before long, New Jersey will go bankrupt.