New Jersey GOP urging Murphy to drop ‘millionaires tax’

Gov. Phil Murphy will present his first state budget plan to joint session of the New Jersey Legislature Tuesday.

Republican lawmakers are urging Murphy to reverse his campaign promise and drop plans for a surcharge on the state’s wealthiest, known as a “millionaires tax.”

Increasing taxes would send a bad message to individuals and corporations, Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean said.

“Any changes that Gov. Murphy makes should focus on property tax relief. Any new investments or extra revenues should focus on property tax relief,” said Kean, R-Union.

Senate President Steve Sweeney, a Democrat, has proposed a surcharge on corporations that make more than a million dollars in profit in New Jersey,

Instead of fighting over which taxes to raise, Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick said Democrats in the Legislature and the Murphy should reduce spending and lower property taxes.

“You’re going to see the Democratic Party do exactly what they did a decade ago, send us on a mission to higher taxes,” said Bramnick, R-Union. That would lead to “people leaving the state, more businesses either planning to leave or not entering the state.”