Phil Murphy vowed Tuesday night not to raise taxes – ever.

This is always a dangerous thing for a politician to say. Just remember George H.W. Bush’s infamous “read my lips” line way back in 1988. Two things eventually happened – he approved a tax increase and he lost reelection.

So the governor probably raised some eyebrows when he made his comment at the gubernatorial debate.

And he didn’t back down today.

“We’re done with new taxes,” he said at his briefing, adding that he wants them to go down.

The problem with pledges of this type is obvious – who knows what’s going to happen next month, let alone next year? Think Covid.

Murphy was asked about the uncertainty of the future regarding taxes and didn’t really address it.

But he did answer a question about what he’s doing to lower taxes.

The governor mentioned expanding the earned income tax credit and said “working families” on average are paying less now than they did four years ago in state taxes.

Apparently feeling upbeat with polls showing him a good bet for reelection, Murphy in more general comments said the state has “really bright days in front of us.”