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Chris Christie on Tax Reform

 

 


I will veto any income tax increases that come before me

Now, I know that many of you in this room believe that income tax increases are the way to go. So yes, sometimes we will simply have to disagree.

I have vetoed four income tax increases passed by this body. And make no mistake: I will veto any more income tax increases that come before me. And I will do it for one simple reason--the higher our taxes are, the fewer people and businesses will come to New Jersey and the more who will consider leaving.

Raising taxes is the old Trenton way, and it didn't work. Taxes were raised 115 times in the eight years before 2010. People and businesses in turn didn't support them and left our state. Between 2004 and 2008 the departure of wealth, investment, and income was staggering--some $70 billion left the state. We have begun a new direction and we need to go further, not reverse course.

Source: State of the State address to 2015 New Jersey Legislature , Jan 13, 2015

Cap property tax and interest arbitration awards

One of the things that drove people out of New Jersey in the past decade was high property taxes. In 2010, together, we capped them. The 2% cap has worked. In these past two years, property tax growth has been the lowest in two decades.

But the job is not finished. Property taxes are still too high. So today, I ask for you to join me in enacting a new property tax relief initiative that tackles the root causes that are driving up property taxes in the first place.

First, some context: the 2% cap we've already enacted has worked for a reason. We've done it by controlling costs. We accompanied it with reform of an interest arbitration award system that needed fixing.

As you know, the interest arbitration cap was not permanent--it is set to expire this April, unless we act. So I ask you today, let us renew the cap on interest arbitration awards and make the cap permanent.

Source: 2014 State of the State address to N.J. Legislature , Jan 14, 2014

2012: Across-the-board tax cut; 2013: exclude over $400K

Buono said in an interview on MSNBC: "Christie's idea of jumpstarting the economy is to propose a trickle-down income tax cut." Buono keeps repeating this claim about Gov. Chris Christie that leaves out significant details and has accuracy issues. Previously, Buono tied the Republican governor's support of an income tax cut to it disproportionately benefiting the wealthiest New Jerseyans. The Truth-O-Meter ruled that claim, and this new one, as False.

In January 2012 Christie proposed cutting income tax rates by 10% across-the-board over 3 years; higher-income taxpayers would have seen a greater decrease because they pay more in income taxes. But after Democrats cried foul, the governor backed off that plan and endorsed a Democratic proposal to cut income taxes only for income under $400,000.

Buono is correct that Christie proposed a tax cut last year. But Buono leaves out that the governor dropped his original proposal in favor of a Democratic tax-cut plan that he's supported since July.

Source: PolitiFact.com on 2013 N.J. governor debates , Mar 5, 2013

FactCheck: NJ taxes raised 115 times? Only if fees count too

Christie claimed "taxes were raised 115 times in the eight years before I became governor" and those increases were part of a "path that led to wealth and jobs and people leaving our state."

But those increases included raising taxes, fees and other tax policy changes. Also, there are many other factors affecting the loss of jobs, wealth and residents. For that statement, the governor received a Half True.

Christie also claimed naysayers said it was "impossible to balance a budget at the same time, with an $11 billion deficit" and "we did it."

The deficit figure Christie cites refers to a $10.7 billion projected structural deficit, a calculation Christie uses to his advantage in his first budget year but has since dismissed as the old way of budgeting. Christie received a Half True.

Source: PolitiFact on 2012 Republican National Convention speech , Aug 28, 2012

2009: Single tax rate would raise taxes for low earners

2009: Single tax rate would raise taxes for low earners Christie looked beyond the GOP skirmish, targeting Corzine, while Lonegan focused on the primary. Lonegan wanted to ditch the state's progressive income tax for a single rate of 2.9%, eventually dropping to 2.1%.
Source: Rise to Power, by B. Ingle & M. Symons, p.138 , Jun 5, 2012

Reduce all income tax brackets by 10% and restore EITC

In my budget, I will fulfill a promise I made to all the people of New Jersey in 2009. Real relief from the heavy income tax burden that has strangled our families and forced many to move away.

I propose to reduce income tax rates for each and every New Jerseyan. In every tax bracket. By 10% across the board.

I also propose to fully restore the earned income tax credit for New Jersey's working poor, which we were forced to cut during the dark days of 2010, when growth was gone & we had no money. Understand what this means--every New Jerseyan will get a cut in taxes. The working poor. The struggling middle class. The new college graduates getting their first job. The senior citizens who have already retired. The single mom. The job creators. The

Source: N.J. 2012 State of the State Address , Jan 17, 2012

OpEd: Vetoed "Millionaire's Tax" on wealthiest New Jerseyans

There's a national agenda to break unions across the country. "Education is no exception. What's the biggest impediment to privatizing?" [Rutgers Law Professor Paul] Tractenberg asked. "Strong unions. So if you can break strong unions or make them weak, then the corporate types have no real opposition."

One of the things that drove people out of New Jersey in the past decade was high property taxes. In 2010, together, we capped them. The 2% cap has worked. In these past two years, property tax growth has been the lowest in two decades.

But the job is not finished. Property taxes are still too high. So today, I ask for you to join me in enacting a new property tax relief initiative that tackles the root causes that are driving up property taxes in the first place.

Source: Link , Feb 17, 2011

We can and we must lower taxes

Source: 2009 Gubernatorial campaign website, christiefornj.com , Nov 3, 2009

NJ has highest state tax burden & it's getting worse

New Jersey has the highest tax burden in the country and it's getting worse--the latest Corzine budget just raised taxes by another $1.2 billion. We're also burdened with the highest property taxes in the country, but that didn't stop Jon Corzine from taking away property tax rebates from 1.2 million New Jerseyans in this year's budget.

In fact, Jon Corzine and Jim McGreevey have raised taxes on the average New Jersey family by more than $10,000 since 2002--over $22 billion in taxes, the highest in the nation.

This will change in a Christie Administration. Highlights from Chris' plan to cut our taxes:

Source: 2009 Gubernatorial campaign website, christiefornj.com , Jul 21, 2009

Keep property tax rebate program

Lonegan said he would do away with property tax rebates and equalize school funding in all districts to lower property taxes. Christie said he would keep the rebate program.
Source: Newark Star-Ledger coverage: 2009 N.J. gubernatorial primary , May 26, 2009

Other governors on Tax Reform: Chris Christie on other issues:
NJ Gubernatorial:
Barbara Buono
Cory Booker
NJ Senatorial:
Cory Booker
Frank Pallone
Jeff Bell
Jeff Chiesa
Murray Sabrin
Robert Menendez
Rush Holt
Steve Lonegan

Gubernatorial Debates 2014:
AL: Bentley(R) vs.Griffith(D)
AR: Ross(D) vs.Hutchinson(R) vs.Griffin(R,Lt.Gov.)
AZ: Ducey(R) vs.DuVal(D) vs.Mealer(AE) vs.Gilbert(L) vs.Riggs(R)
CA: Brown(D) vs.Kashkari(R)
CO: Hickenlooper(D) vs.Beauprez(R) vs.Tancredo(R) vs.Hess(L)
CT: Malloy(D) vs.Foley(R) vs.Walker(R,Lt.Gov.)
FL: Scott(R) vs.Crist(D) vs.Snitker(L,Lt.Gov.)
GA: Deal(R) vs.Carter(D) vs.Hunt(L)
HI: Ige(D) vs.Aiona(R) vs.Abercrombie(D)
IA: Branstad(R) vs.Hatch(D) vs.Hoefling(R)
MA: Coakley(D) vs.Baker(R) &Polito(R,Lt.Gov.) vs.Grossman(D) vs.Berwick(D)
ME: LePage(R) vs.Michaud(D) vs.Cutler(I)
MI: Snyder(R) vs.Schauer(D)
NM: Martinez(R) vs.King(D)
NY: Cuomo(D) &Hochul(D,Lt.Gov.) vs.Astorino(R) vs.Hawkins(G) vs.Teachout(D)
OK: Fallin(R) vs.Dorman(D)
PA: Corbett(R) vs.Wolf(D) vs.Schwartz(D,lost primary) vs.Critz(D,Lt.Gov.,lost primary)
Newly-elected 2014:
AK-I: Bill Walker
AR-R: Asa Hutchinson
AZ-R: Doug Ducey
IL-R: Bruce Rauner
MA-R: Charlie Baker
MD-R: Larry Hogan
NE-R: Pete Ricketts
PA-D: Tom Wolf
RI-D: Gina Raimondo
TX-R: Greg Abbott

Up for re-election 2014:
AK-R: Sean Parnell
AL-R: Robert Bentley
CA-D: Jerry Brown
CO-D: John Hickenlooper
CT-D: Dan Malloy
FL-R: Rick Scott
GA-R: Nathan Deal
HI-D: Neil Abercrombie
IA-R: Terry Branstad
ID-R: Butch Otter
IL-D: Pat Quinn
KS-R: Sam Brownback
ME-R: Paul LePage
MI-R: Rick Snyder
MN-D: Mark Dayton
NH-D: Maggie Hassan
NM-R: Susana Martinez
NV-R: Brian Sandoval
NY-D: Andrew Cuomo
OH-R: John Kasich
OK-R: Mary Fallin
OR-D: John Kitzhaber
PA-R: Tom Corbett
SC-R: Nikki Haley
SD-R: Dennis Daugaard
TN-R: Bill Haslam
VT-D: Peter Shumlin
WI-R: Scott Walker
WY-R: Matt Mead
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Term-Limited or Retiring 2014:
AR-D: Mike Beebe
AZ-R: Jan Brewer
MA-D: Deval Patrick
MD-D: Martin O'Malley
RI-I: Linc Chafee
TX-R: Rick Perry


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Page last updated: Jan 19, 2015