Corzine Breaks Promise; Eliminates Rebates

New Jersey Republican State Committee today released its latest YouTube ad, entitled “Failure on Property Taxes,” the first YouTube ad in a series about Gov. Corzine’s failure to do what he said he was going to do.

The ad highlights comments by candidate Jon Corzine during the 2005 gubernatorial election when Corzine made increasing rebates 40% over four years the centerpiece of his campaign.

After cutting rebates, yesterday Corzine’s Treasurer announced canceling them.

RGA Launches Website Against Corzine’s Tax Hikes

The Republican Governors Association launched an advertising campaign today highlighting Jon Corzine’s plan to raise taxes by $1 billion even though New Jersey already has the highest tax burden in the nation and the state’s economy is reeling.

Voters statewide will be receiving information outlining Corzine’s plan to increase the tax burden on homeowners, raise taxes on small businesses, and hike the income tax. Visit www.JerseyPays.com to learn more.

“Jon Corzine wants to raise taxes by $1 billion while the New Jersey economy is in shambles and families are struggling,” said Mike Schrimpf, communications director for the Republican Governors Association. “People on Main Street know a massive tax hike is the last thing they need.”

Corzine’s tax plan will impact all segments of the New Jersey economy. He wants to eliminate property tax rebates for many middle class homeowners, in the middle of the worst housing crisis in decades. He wants to extend a 4 percent surcharge tax on businesses and increase the payroll tax while New Jersey has its highest unemployment rate in 16 years. Corzine also wants to hike income and consumer taxes.

“While Jon Corzine has been governor, New Jersey taxpayers have paid and paid and paid,” Schrimpf said. “It’s not surprising that a Wall Street insider like Jon Corzine is turning to the taxpayers for a billion dollar bailout of his failed policies.”

See for yourself just how bad property taxes have gotten with Corzine

A new, easy-to-use feature on the Assembly Republican website lets visitors find out how high the average property tax bill has risen in their hometown since 2005, Corzine’s first year in office, and 2001, when Democrats took control of both houses of the Legislature.

Just click on the box that asks “How High Have Your Property Taxes Risen?” and enter your town’s name in the box that appears on the screen. You will see how your municipality’s average property tax bill has changed since 2001 and 2005. You will also see how it changed from 2007 to 2008, which reflects the average 2 percent cut in municipal aid made by Corzine – the same amount he proposes for this year. By downloading the accompanying Excel spreadsheet, you can review the data for other towns, all towns, counties or legislative districts.

Are You Overtaxed? Corzine’s State Treasurer Doesn’t Think So

Assembly Republican Budget Officer Joseph Malone had a simple question for state Treasurer David Rousseau during the April 7th hearing on Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s budget: “Do you feel New Jerseyans are overtaxed?”

Rousseau paused nearly five seconds before answering “No.” That answer seems to sum up how Corzine’s administration views taxpayers and that it doesn’t understand just how badly New Jersey’s middle class has been harmed by its incessantly increasing taxes.

New Jersey has the highest property taxes and one of the highest income tax and sales tax rates in the nation. A recent study has also determined that New Jersey has the worst business climate in the country.

But Corzine’s treasurer told the Assembly Budget Committee that New Jersey’s income tax, sales tax and business taxes really aren’t all that bad.

“I think there is concern about the over-all level of taxation in this state,” Rousseau conjectured.

“Are property taxes higher in this state than anywhere else in the country? Yes. This is the major problem facing this state.”

However, his perspective on other taxes was quite different.

“Our income tax rates for working class families and middle and moderate income families are lower than the rest of the state,” Rousseau said.

Since the sales tax rate is lower in Urban Enterprise zones, Rousseau opined that “our overall 7 percent rate really isn’t an overall 7 percent rate.”

What about those pesky business taxes?

“For the percentage of taxes paid by the business community on the state level we are relatively at the national average, and on the local level businesses actually pay a lower percent of the taxes that they do in the other states because, unlike other states, as I said, we don’t have a local tax option. We don’t have local taxes that businesses pay, and also because we do not classify property, businesses aren’t treated differently on the property tax.” Got it?

The following day, Corzine tried to put some distance between him and his treasurer, saying “I wouldn’t have answered the question that way.”

Fool Me Once

Of all days, Governor Corzine choose April Fools Day to officially release his budget that increases taxes on the middle class $1.5 billion.

The actual budget was posted on the state Treasury Department’s website today.

So where’s the fool? Corzine’s spending proposal of $29.8 billion does not include “off budget state” and “off budget federal” revenue sources that are used to operate the state. When including these funds, total government spending would be $45.5 billion. The budget calls for $1.5 billion in tax increases, including severely scaling back those eligible for receiving property tax rebates, reducing aid to municipalities, and increasing the tax rate for those earning over $500,000 annually. In addition, the Corporate Business Tax, scheduled to sunset, would be extended.

New CEMW Poll

Corzine to NJ: Believe My Foggy Delusions

From today’s Star Ledger article: In face of protests, Corzine believes in new budget:

“I think the economy will be very much on people’s minds when we get around to going to the polls in the fall. It will be my responsibility for the purposes of a second term (to convince) people that I have the best ability to get us through there, and I’m confident I will be able to do that or I wouldn’t run.”

And we should believe him because…?

Corzine answering a reporters question during his post budget signing press conference on July 8, 2006.

Only CT residents work longer than NJ to pay taxes!

The 2009 “Tax Freedom Day Report“, released today by the the non-partisan Tax Foundation, puts New Jersey, second to last in the country on how many days its citizens have to work to pay their taxes each year. Only Connecticut scored worse.

This year, New Jersey’s date is April 29th, meaning New Jerseyans have to work 119 days in 2009 (from January 1st to April 29th) to just cover their taxes.

Don’t give any sighs of relief that New Jersey isn’t last quite yet. Connecticut is trying to get it’s economy back on track without tax increases this year while Corzine has a plan to increase taxes $1.5 billion. New Jersey will be taking that number one spot soon enough.

What would you do to balance the state budget?

New Jersey Assembly Republicans are seeking taxpayers imput on how they believe the state should spend their money by casting a “budget ballot.”

The 2009 budget ballot initiative gives taxpayers a chance to say what they think of spending priorities proposed by Gov. Jon S. Corzine in the nearly $30 billion budget that the Legislature is in the process of reviewing.

Your opinions on issues such as property tax relief, the rate of government growth and spending, state debt and transportation funding, among others, will assist legislators as they dissect the budget, department by department.

To cast a ballot, you can click here.

Hey Kettle, You’re Black.

Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think? In the 2000 U.S. Senate primary, Jon Corzine slammed Governor Florio for increasing taxes, losing New Jersey jobs and leaving the state’s economy in shambles.

Now Corzine has outdone even Jim Florio. Today there are more New Jerseyeans unemployed than in Florio’s last year as governor and Corzine’s tax hike plan of $1.5 billion this year is already on top of his previous 22 tax hikes costing taxpayers 2.3 billion.

No wonder Corzine’s re-election numbers are actually worse than Jim Florio’s during his failed re-election campaign in 1993. In the last public opinion poll by Quinnipiac University, voters disapprove 50 – 40 percent of the job Corzine is doing with independent voters disapproving 54 – 37 percent.