DeCroce Says Gov. Murphy’s Budget Plan Needs To Go Back to Drawing Board

Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce
District 26, Morris, Essex, Passaic Counties

DeCroce Says Gov. Murphy’s Budget Plan Needs To Go  Back to Drawing Board

 

“At a time when New Jersey residents and taxpayers can least afford to shoulder the burden of more government spending, Gov. Murphy has unveiled a budget proposal that ignores the economic reality we live in today and heaps more harm on our taxpayers,” said Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (R-Morris, Essex, Passaic)

 

The governor’s proposed budget increases appropriation $2.7 billion or nearly 8 percent over the current budget – bringing the next budget that starts July 1 to $37.4 billion.  Murphy’s FY-2019 budget increases spending by $1.5 billion and calls for an increase in the sales tax that the legislature lowered in 2016. Murphy also wants to raise taxes on so called millionaires as well as increase the corporate business tax, which is already the highest in the country.

 

“This budget proposal ignores economic reality and threatens to harm the state’s economy further.  Taxing people who create jobs and successful corporations will only drive more jobs out of New Jersey and encourage the exodus of young people and senior citizens.” said DeCroce.

 

“The governor’s office needs to go back to the drawing board and come up with a budget that reflects the reality of the state’s economic conditions,” she added.

 

The governor’s proposal includes many non-starters, said DeCroce, including $60 million in fees from marijuana legalization and $2.1 million to support non-profit groups providing legal assistance to illegal immigrants facing deportation.

 

“The governor is asking hard working citizens of this state to pay for legal fees of illegal immigrants to fight federal law. That’s unacceptable.” said DeCroce.

 

The assemblywoman said that since the enactment of the new federal tax reform in December, Murphy and many Democratic lawmakers have been crying about the reform’s impact on New Jersey.

 

“The truth is now more evident than ever that the people who have really been hurting New Jersey taxpayers are those who just introduced the governor’s budget.  This FY-2019 proposal and its priorities don’t reflect the real world that people live in,” said DeCroce.

 

“The governor should be working with Democrats and Republicans in the legislature to cut spending and reduce taxes. Instead he gave us a progressive wish list of spending priorities that will hurt working families,” added DeCroce.

 

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