(TRENTON) – Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union) released the following statement Wednesday (D-Union) after the Assembly Budget Committee upon which he serves discussed information from the Christie administration further detailing the administration’s 31 tax and fee increases in the budget for next fiscal year.
The administration had already revealed plans for 8 increased or expanded taxes (see page 16 of this link.) New information shows 23 additional tax and fee hikes. That list is attached to this email.
“I’ve heard my Republican colleagues often note that ‘fee’ is just another three-letter word for tax, so going by that theory we now know that Gov. Christie is seeking 31 tax increases on New Jerseyans.
“This is atop the nearly net 20 percent property tax hike New Jerseyans have suffered under Gov. Christie, a tax hike most painful for middle-class and poor families.
“Gov. Christie and his team may try to duck responsibility and accountability for these 31 increases, but the facts are indisputable.
“These increases touch on everything from boarding homes to job-creating urban businesses to motor vehicle services to cemeteries to home improvements. Not much is left untouched, which is unfortunate for New Jersey residents and businesses.
“This administration likes to tout its alleged straight-talk, but that talk is becoming more and holllow by the day – and sadly the wallets of New Jerseyans are lighter for it.”