Dems Tie Themselves in Knots Over Taxes

By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

gas-pump

Rule #1 of successful political communication:

Hypocrisy is tolerated, but not in large doses administered simultaneously.

I shouldn’t be giving the NJ Democrats free advice, Save Jerseyans, but they would be wise to take it from me.

For the record, I’m not fan of the Governor’s FY 2015 budget tax proposals, one of which includes a tobacco tax on e-cigarettes and expanding the sales tax to include out-of-state online retailers selling goods in New Jersey. It’ll supposedly net the state $205 million by closing loopholes. It won’t inspire a debate among New Jersey voters as to whether Republican or Democrat ideas are better for their bottom line. I can’t see it as anything other than a missed opportunity.

Democrat Budget Committee Chairman Gary Schaer is jumping all over the Governor for it on behalf of his caucus.

Okay. Like I said above, politicians of all stripes get away with being unabashed hypocrites on a daily basis. I don’t like it, you shouldn’t vote for it, and New Jersey Democrats lecturing anyone on raising taxes is kind of like Bill Clinton moralizing on the topic of chastity, but it’s not really eye-opening stuff (sad as it is to say).

The rub: while Asm. Schaer is complaining about Governor Christie expanding tax categories to include new items/activities, his own party is proposing sizable tax bumps in other categories including the one area where, ironically, New Jersey is actually a relatively low-tax state: gasoline.

It’s a new level of hypocrisy previously untested by mortal men. I’d say congratulations were I not paying for it!

Speaker Prieto and Senator Lesniak, too (the same guy whose law partner sits on the SCI committee while their firm profits from representing the primary object of the SCI’s inquiry), are both pushing hard for a gas tax hike. Their excuse is the need to fully-fund the chronically under-funded transportation fund. Their unwillingness to adopt any other iota of fiscal responsibility belies the illusion of any genuine concern on their part for our state’s financial health.

So is the New Jersey Democrat Party still pro-tax? Split? Or just against whatever Governor Christie is for?

I know they’re not pro-cutting spending, or repealing the prevailing wage, or anything else which would actually help the taxpayer (and the transportation fund which, btw, they never minded under-funding in the past).

They should conference with each other and come up with some sort of coherent position before anyone else opens his or her mouth.

 

Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8403 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.

1 Comment

  1. Transportation Fund is not underfunded, it’s overunionized. I would instantly agree to a tax hike in exchange for permanent de-unionization of public works department.

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