Assemblyman Joseph Malone

MALONE: BUDGET FAILS TO ADDRESS MAJOR CONCERNS FACING NEW JERSEY TAXPAYERS

PLAN DOESN'T CONTROL SPENDING, PROVIDES LITTLE TAX RELIEFFebruary 22, 2007
Assemblyman Joseph Malone/609-298-6250

Assembly Republican Budget Officer Joseph Malone today issued the following statement in response to today's budget introduction speech by Governor Jon Corzine:

"While the Governor's presentation made this budget seem benign, it has failed to address the terminal illness affecting this state's fiscal health. The budget fails to address the addiction to spending that has driven up taxes for five years and made this state unaffordable for middle class families. Instead this budget increases spending by nearly 8 percent from $30.8 billion to $33.3 billion. This is nearly a 10 percent spending increase in six years. That explosive growth in spending is simply unacceptable and cannot be maintained in future years.

"This budget also fails to adequately address the property tax crisis in this state. The minimal relief that suburban taxpayers will get through the Democrat tax credit plan will not offset five years and 36 percent in property tax increases. The failure of the administration to restore the school funding that has been lost as a result of the school aid freeze of the last five years will continue to drive up property taxes nearly negating any relief taxpayers will receive.

"We have four months to work on this budget proposal. Unfortunately, given the recent history of the budget process I fear that this budget will get worse by the time it is adopted in June -- not better."

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