AFP Blasts Plan To Hike NJ Taxes By $2 Billion

Americans for Prosperity, the state’s leading grassroots advocate for taxpayers, is taking aim at ForwardNJ, the primary coalition pushing for a huge gas tax hike on New Jersey motorists.

“As head of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, Tom Bracken should understand better than anyone just how hard it is for job creators and small businesses to make it in New Jersey, which makes his support of a gas tax hike all the more perplexing,” said AFP state director Daryn Iwicki.

“Gas prices are already going back up and a massive gas tax hike of the magnitude ForwardNJ is pushing for will be crushing. What does the Chamber think a $2 billion a year gas tax hike will do to small business in the state? How many more businesses does Tom Bracken want to see leave?”

“And here’s the kicker. While ForwardNJ advocates slamming our residents and small businesses with a massive gas tax hike—claiming we need $2 billion more for the TTF—they still have no plan, no priority list of projects with cost estimates. They have no plan to cut our outrageous $2 million per mile costs.”

“Sen. Pennacchio asked Tom Bracken this question point blank at the Senate Transportation Committee hearing and he had no answer,” Iwicki noted. “How can you push for billions in taxes and not even know what you need to have done in the state? How can you not even have a word on your website about costs?”

“Tom Bracken and the Chamber of Commerce should be standing with AFP and calling on politicians in Trenton to find ways to fund our roads and bridges through the budget and advocating an audit of the TTF. Instead the head of their organization is standing with lobbyists and Big Labor; special interests who will reap the benefits of a gas tax hike while hard-working New Jerseyans take the brunt of it.”

“And if a gas tax hike were passed tomorrow there would still be no guarantee it would go to infrastructure. There is nothing stopping politicians from raiding the fund again and using it for the budget,” said Iwicki. “Trenton politicians just cannot be trusted with more of our money. It’s time they showed some integrity and fiscal discipline, and the willingness to make tough choices by cutting the budget elsewhere to free up the funds we need for our infrastructure.”

“Another big tax increase in New Jersey will just make it more impossible for people to live and thrive here. Our residents are taxed enough and they cannot afford to send anymore down to Trenton.”