New Jersey Legislators meet on July 4th.
Posted on 07/03/2006 1:04:55 PM PDT by LdSentinal
TRENTON, NJ (Reuters) - New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine on Monday called a special session of the state legislature to start on Tuesday in a bid to end a budget crisis that has halted some state services and threatens to close Atlantic City casinos.
The move means state legislators will stay in session until they resolve the crisis by passing a budget bill.
Corzine on Saturday directed nonessential state services, including the state lottery, to shut down after a July 1 budget deadline passed without the agreement of Democrats in the state assembly on a 1 percentage point increase in state sales tax.
Corzine says the tax increase is necessary to help close a $4.5 billion deficit in the $31 billion budget.
Well, it's due to the amazing genius of some legislators that July 4th falls on July 3rd. Amazing.
My wife just informed me that they left this Holiday where it was, he said with a red face.
The public thinks they are burning the midnite oil to come up with a fiscally sound budget. Actually they are in session in a 'divide the spoils' session between the north and south camps of the RAT party. Taxpayers will take it and like it until the Rats not the public decides they have been fleeced enough (for this fiscal year)
Maybe if he shuts the gov't down long enough, they'll have 4.5 bil they need without the sales tax increase.
(The Palestinian terrorist regime is the crisis and Israel's fist is the answer.)
Glad to see the 'Rat govenor and the 'Rat legislators of NJ get their 4th of July ruined since they have ruined the budget by their own policies. Thieves and liars don't deserve to celebrate freedom anyway.
The question we don`t hear: Why does the State of New Jersey did to spend $31 billion? How much is that per person, how much is that per taxpayer?
See note #4 for your answer. RATS: warring factions coming together for the common plunder of working (loser) taxpayers. Led by the leading faction; the 86,000 member State Gov't employees hellbent of increasing their take year after year.
One part of the budget puts a tax on the number of beds a hospital has.
"...After the release of the Governor's budget, one observer joked, "There are no immediate plans to tax the air we breathe—not this year, at least."[36] The proposal does not include plans to tax oxygen and nitrogen, but it does tax the water residents drink. An additional 4-cent surcharge per 1,000 gallons is just another sad example of the extent to which some policymakers will reach to capture the maximum amount of revenue while avoiding political accountability.
[37] Garden State taxpayers have forked over enough money to the state in the past few years and double-digit budget increases won't deliver relief from this oppressive climate. Based on the Governor's previous remarks and business background, he is well aware of the impact of taxation and government spending, yet his rhetoric is not reflected in the budget.
If he thinks simply adding to New Jersey's already high tax burden will drive economic growth and fill the coffers, why is the state still mired in deficits after soaking residents for $3 billion in additional taxes? New Jersey government has played the role of tax-hiker well over the past few years.
After billions of dollars in higher taxes and increased debt, perhaps it is time to audition for a different part, one in which elected officials will learn the lines of fiscal discipline.
Are the women, children, and minorities of New Jersey suffering? Should the UN go in with direct aid flights? Aw, never mind. Women, Children , and minorities only suffer when Republicans shut down a government. I forgot.
New Jersey Legislators meet on July 4th.
Talk about irony, raising taxes on Independence Day.
what's their population? I think they are a pretty populous state. Anyhoo, that's not the argument. The argument here is the legislature submitted a budget to the Gov that spends 4.5 bil more than they have currently in the bank. And the Gov wants to raise the state sales tax another one percent to compensate for it.
Either the legislature will cut the 4.5 bil in spending in their budget submittal or they'll grant the sales tax increase.
"Led by the leading faction; the 86,000 member State Gov't employees hellbent of increasing their take year after year."
Actually 86,000 is a low number of employees. I think AZ is smaller and has 60,000.
I don't know much about the history of this: how did they get so far out of kilter to begin with? That's a pretty big spread to have just happened in one year.
Sounds like they should hire Dionne Warwick to tell them how much next year's tax increase needs to be, then they can start planning all their holiday sessions now.
"What amazes me is that the state of New Jersey needs to increase revenues 17% to balance the budget."
Everybody is flowing in dough. NJ can easily meet the revenue projections.
Well McGreedy was passing out tons of dough to senior citizens in the form of Homestead Rebates.
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