Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth) issued the following statement, in light of Senate President Steve Sweeney’s wise tax concerns:

“I’m pleased to see that the Senate President is willing to stand up to the Governor in cases where we have legitimate and logical policy concerns. We aren’t going to solve our budget crisis by sticking to the same old divisions, and proposing the same old solutions that got us here. Raising the sales tax, the millionaire’s tax, ride-sharing taxes, and our corporate tax will hurt our residents and our economy. We all deserve more thoughtful policy than the one-dimensional massive tax increase solutions that got us here in the first place.

“I am, and always have been, willing to sit down with anyone of any party who wants to have real discussions about the solution options before us. Sometimes I’ll agree with the Governor, and sometimes I won’t. I have always been forthcoming about either position. The Governor and his team have expressed openness and responsiveness so far, and I look forward to working with them, but we have tough and essential policy choices to make going forward. The longer we wait to face them, the tougher the choices will be. Let’s go!

“The Senate President was right when he said that change was needed in New Jersey and it won’t just happen by raising taxes. We have difficult conversations ahead of us and it’s critical that we as public officials aren’t afraid to criticize bad policy—no matter which party proposes it.”