Looming New Jersey budget deadline sparks debate

The deadline for getting a new state budget in place in New Jersey is now just two months away but there’s still plenty of bickering about Governor Christie’s proposals.

The deadline for getting a new state budget in place in New Jersey is now just two months away but there’s still plenty of bickering about Governor Christie’s proposals.

Democrats say the pain in the budget plan is not being shared equally and want the three percent surcharge on the wealthy that expired at the end of December to be reinstated.

But Senator Tony Bucco, the ranking Republican on the Senate budget committee, says bringing back that surcharge does not make economic sense.

Bucco: You’re driving away the small businessman out of the state. As a small businessman I understand it and I realize it and this is where the problem is.

Bucco says he’s confident the surcharge issue will be resolved and a budget agreement reached by the June 30th deadline.

Budget committee chairman, Democrat Paul Sarlo, is also hopeful of getting a budget deal done.

Sarlo: You know the Governor is ultimately going to have to decide how does he want to balance this budget, on whose backs he wants to balance it on.

Sarlo says no one wants to see a budget deadlock that would result in a government shutdown.

The last time that happened was in 2006.