(ZEROHEDGE) – In the latest suicidal move by New Jersey, the state which after Illinois is in the direst of financial straits and has the second lowest credit rating in the nation, on Thursday morning, Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Democratic leaders agreed on a budget deal that will raise taxes on millionaires, sparking another exodus from a state which has already seen many of its richest residents – such as David Tepper – depart for more hospitable states.
As the NYT gloats, "Gov. Philip D. Murphy campaigned on a vow to raise taxes on the rich in New Jersey. It took three years and a pandemic to get it done." Clearly the NYT has any idea just how worse off the state will be in a few years as a result of sliding real estate prices and broadly lower tax revenues.
Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and fervent Democrat who took over as NJ governor from Chris Christie in 2018, was expected to announce on Thursday morning a deal that includes a higher tax rate for residents earning more than $1 million a year. In keeping with Murphy's social justice warrior ambitions, the agreement also includes a $500 rebate for families with at least one child and an annual income of less than $150,000 a year for couples and $75,000 for single parents. The new tax is expected to generate an estimated $390 million this fiscal year, while the $500 rebate is expected to cost about $340 million a year.
“Blink and you’ll miss the next Trenton tax hike,” the state’s Republican chairman, Doug Steinhardt, said in a statement. “That’s how fast Phil Murphy and his Democrats are spending your money.”
New Jersey must have a budget in place for the Oct. 1 start of the revised fiscal year, a nine-month cycle. The current fiscal year was lengthened by three months amid uncertain revenue during the novel coronavirus pandemic. The new spending plan includes $4 billion in borrowing to plug a revenue gap.
The post Let the exodus begin: New Jersey raises tax on millionaires appeared first on WND.
