Surprise, surprise: taxes going up again
Gov. Corzine made it official in his budget address today: Taxes will be rising again, big time. If his spending proposal is approved by the Legislature - something I wouldn't bet against - the sales tax will go from 6 percent to 7 percent - a 16 percent increase - and the state budget will increase another 9 percent, to $30.9 billion.
Corzine said the budget will require sacrifices on everyone's part. Everyone, apparently, except the people largely responsible for the runaway taxes - government officials and employees. Corzine says his budget eliminates 75 programs, reduces funding for 130 others and reduces the rate of growth for another 30. If all those programs are being eliminated or reduced, why is he retaining the state's full complement of unionized workers? Is there a shortage of no-show jobs? Corzine says he will be lopping off about 300 non-union positions from the state workforce of about 80,000. Another 700 non-union jobs will be eliminated through attrition. That's shared sacrifice?
In presenting a budget with a nearly double-digit spending increase, he lost all moral authority to implore local governments and school boards to keep spending in check. The impact the state budget and its flat funding for municipalities and school districts will have on property taxes is not pleasant to contemplate.
But keep one thing in mind: Corzine's budget is only a proposal. Start letting your legislators know how you feel about it. And start telling your local officials and school board members that they need to wring every last dollar of waste from their budgets. If enough of you scream, it will make a difference.
Corzine said the budget will require sacrifices on everyone's part. Everyone, apparently, except the people largely responsible for the runaway taxes - government officials and employees. Corzine says his budget eliminates 75 programs, reduces funding for 130 others and reduces the rate of growth for another 30. If all those programs are being eliminated or reduced, why is he retaining the state's full complement of unionized workers? Is there a shortage of no-show jobs? Corzine says he will be lopping off about 300 non-union positions from the state workforce of about 80,000. Another 700 non-union jobs will be eliminated through attrition. That's shared sacrifice?
In presenting a budget with a nearly double-digit spending increase, he lost all moral authority to implore local governments and school boards to keep spending in check. The impact the state budget and its flat funding for municipalities and school districts will have on property taxes is not pleasant to contemplate.
But keep one thing in mind: Corzine's budget is only a proposal. Start letting your legislators know how you feel about it. And start telling your local officials and school board members that they need to wring every last dollar of waste from their budgets. If enough of you scream, it will make a difference.
posted by Randy Bergmann at 6:02 PM
1 Comments:
Randy, your point is well made. Unfortunately, the one reader (Ann S.) who responded to your quote was completely irrational and unmeasured in her response.
Let's be honest about the current state of affairs in Trenton: our current fiscal crisis has been created by both Democrats and Republicans, Conservatives and Liberals.
If you want to change Trenton, you need to change who you send their to fix it. Period!
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