Dems cool to Christie plan for N.J. income tax cut

New Jersey lawmakers have started to consider the potential impact of Gov. Chris Christie’s plan to cut income taxes by 10 percent.

Democrats are resisting the proposal. And Senate Budget Committee chairman Paul Sarlo questioned whether reducing income taxes is the way to go.

“For middle-class families trying to make ends meet, for senior citizens on fixed incomes, for working people struggling in hard times, it’s the property tax that is the real burden,” he said.

Republican Sen. Kevin O’Toole said he hopes the plan gets a fair hearing.

“It’s difficult to try to get things done here in Trenton,” he said. “If it’s a Gov. Christie initiative, there are a bunch of people who just want to firebomb it because it’s his proposal.”

The governor said he doubts lower-than-anticipated tax revenues in the first half of the fiscal year will force the need to scale back the proposal. He says job growth in the state will lead to increased tax revenues.

“We’ve pared back on other proposals before that we’ve wanted when the numbers haven’t worked. We’ll do the same if we have to, but I don’t think we’re going to have to,” Christie said Monday.