Oliver, Greenwald, Wisniewski & Prieto Note Christie Preference for Tax Cuts for Millionaires over Property Tax Relief for Working Families & Seniors
(TRENTON) — Assembly Democrats released the following statements Thursday:
ASSEMBLY SPEAKER SHEILA OLIVER (D-ESSEX/PASSAIC):
“Democrats passed civil service and sick leave payout reforms, only to see them vetoed by a governor more interested in playing politics than bringing relief to property taxpayers. That should come as no surprise, considering the governor’s preference for tax cuts for millionaires over property tax relief for working families and senior citizens. The governor is the one responsible for giving New Jerseyans the largest property tax hike since 2007, and this lack of leadership is why voters rejected his message last week.”
ASSEMBLY MAJORITY LEADER-SELECT LOU GREENWALD (D-CAMDEN):
“If we’ve learned one thing for sure about this governor, it’s that the buck surely doesn’t stop at his desk. In his mind, he is responsible for nothing and everyone else is to blame. That’s why New Jerseyans saw through his message last week and decided to increase the Democratic majority. Still, it’s understandable why the governor would try to shift the focus and the blame, considering how he’s hiked property taxes on working families while zealously ensuring tax breaks to millionaires.”
ASSEMBLY DEPUTY SPEAKER JOHN WISNIEWSKI (D-MIDDLESEX):
“This governor not only refuses to accept responsibility for the property tax increases he’s passed onto middle-class families while giving tax cuts to the wealthy, but the policies he’s playing politics with don’t even add up. Democrats believed the Civil Service system need to be reformed and modernized and sent the governor a bill to do so. Instead, the governor wants a system that eliminates taxpayer protections against corruption and nepotism. That’s poor policy and leadership.”
INCOMING ASSEMBLY BUDGET CHAIRMAN VINCENT PRIETO (D-Hudson/Bergen):
“The governor continues to be all smoke and mirrors and seems to have selectively forgotten that Democrats passed key bills to control property taxes, only to have that progress wiped out by his massive cuts in state aid that helped bring the largest property tax hike since 2007. We tried to alleviate that by asking millionaires to share in the sacrifice, but the governor steadfastly protected their tax cuts. It’s the governor’s ill-advised policies that continue to pour a heavy burden onto working class New Jerseyans and businesses.”