Pennacchio: Murphy Budget Means More of the Same for New Jersey Taxpayers

‘Governor doesn’t get it. He ain’t 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.”