MORRISTOWN, N.J. – Every wonder exactly what all of these taxes you’re paying are subsidizing, Save Jerseyans?
The easy answer: a $117 billion governmental monster.
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Our friends over at the the Garden State Initiative (GSI) have kicked off a five-part series taking a hard look at HOW New Jersey spends your money, where it’s wasting your money, and how the money could be spent more efficiently.
Click here.
The big takeaways from GSI:
-> “The consolidated cost of government services in NJ is $117 billion – triple the size of the annual state budget.”
-> “That $117 billion funds 1,522 government entities – one government entity for every 6,000 New Jersey residents.”
-> “At 22%, public employee benefits are the largest expenditure category for the state – well exceeding health care and transportation. “
->”Property tax collections of $28 billion account for 24% of all revenue collected and dwarf the next two largest revenue sources, which are the $14 billion each from Income Tax and Federal Aid.”
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GSI thinks the the state could save its taxpayers $1 billion by enacting some fairly simple, straightforward reforms:
“With over 1,500 publicly-funded entities collecting and spending well over $100 billion dollars, we believe New Jersey taxpayers deserve a full understanding of how that money is being spent,” said Regina M. Egea, GSI, “along with realistic opportunities available to improve performance in the delivery and cost of services.”
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