TRENTON, N.J. — Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco said New Jersey residents are entering the new year facing higher costs and financial pressure, criticizing the state’s long-running Democratic control of state government.
“As the calendar turns, New Jersey families are once again starting the year with higher costs and fewer dollars in their pockets,” said Bucco, a Republican who represents the 25th District. “From increased fees and taxes to rising everyday expenses, this New Year is already proving more expensive than the last.”
Bucco said the state’s fiscal direction over the past two decades has left residents worse off, citing higher taxes, government fees and rising living costs. Democrats have controlled state government in Trenton for more than 20 years.
“After 22 consecutive years of Democratic control in Trenton, not a single year has left residents better off than the year before,” Bucco said. “Despite repeated claims that they are the party of ‘affordability,’ the reality for working families, seniors, and small businesses tells a very different story. Higher taxes, increased government fees, and mounting costs do not equal affordability, they guarantee the opposite.”
Bucco’s comments come amid ongoing discussion about state tax policy. He said there have been reports of a possible increase in the state sales tax to 7 percent, though no formal proposal has been announced.
In November, Bucco introduced legislation that would reduce the sales tax to 6 percent. Separately, in October, state Sens. Mike Testa Jr. and Joseph Pennacchio, both Republicans, introduced legislation aimed at temporarily suspending the sales and use tax and the societal benefits charge on electric and gas utility bills.
