Lawmakers in Trenton are at it again, proposing new taxes to pay for something the state apparently can’t afford. This time, they’re after gas, proposing to increase the tax on it by five cents per gallon to help rebuild and repair New Jersey’s roads and bridges.
Our initial response, when reading this news, was “you have to be kidding!” The last thing we need in this state is to be taxed more, and here goes another politician — specifically state Sen. Raymond Lesniak this time — putting forth a bill that would take more money out of our pockets.
Lesniak claims that the proposed tax increase would bring in about $250 million a year for road repairs that are much-needed, and his research indicates that 40 percent of this sum would come from out-of-state drivers.
He also claims that the five-cent tax increase would cost the average driver less than $100 more in gas each year. He’s probably right on that figure — 15 gallons per week, times five cents is 75 cents, times 52 weeks is $39.
The point, though, is that it’s not about the relatively low impact on residents’ wallets; it’s the fact that there’s an impact at all.
Sure, $39 extra per year isn’t a lot of money when you put it in perspective — that’s two movie tickets, a popcorn and two drinks nowadays. But the fact that New Jersey residents have to pay ANY extra tax on gas seems absurd to us.
When you combine a higher gas tax with probable increases in municipal taxes, school taxes and county taxes, what you get is a snowball situation that, over time, makes it financially unbearable to live in this state.
For once, our politicians should learn a tried and true practice that they seem to ask us all to do to help out in times of need — it’s called budgeting. Our elected leaders need to do more with what they have. Cut the waste, and be more efficient with what we have already given them.
Enough is enough when it comes to taxes. It’s time for lawmakers to step up and prove why we elected them.
