TURNS OUT THE ONLY THING SMALL BUSINESS HATES MORE THAN THE ORIGINAL TTF FUNDING PLAN IS THE NEW ONE
TRENTON (June 29, 2016): The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), who has been opposed to any type of gas tax increase since funding for the transportation trust fund (TTF) took center stage this month, is releasing the results of a poll they conducted after the Assembly passed their version of the bill in early hours of Tuesday morning.
“When we polled our members on the original bill that included a slow phase-out of the estate tax, 85% of the members that responded were opposed to it. Now that the estate tax repeal has disappeared, it turns out the only thing less popular than the original bill is the new one,” said NFIB New Jersey state director, Laurie Ehlbeck. “In just 24 hours we heard back from hundreds of members and 92% of them are ardently opposed to this bill. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle just aren’t getting it. The small business community will not stand for any type of tax increase. Trenton has enough of our tax dollars as it is.”
Members of NFIB were asked if they support a 23 cent gas tax increase proposal that also includes a one percent reduction of the sales tax phased over time in addition to retiree benefits. Unlike other business organizations, NFIB ballots their members on key issues to determine the type of stance to take on new policy initiatives. With thousands of members in New Jersey, at times the results can be divided however, the results of the latest poll provide tremendous clarity to how the small business community views the bill that will be before the Senate tomorrow.
“There have been a few brave Senators willing to call this proposal exactly what it is, a fiscal shell game being played with revenue in the state of New Jersey. We can only hope that they will find allies in their battle to avoid doubling the gas tax,” continued Ehlbeck. “Raising one tax immediately while slowly reducing another by nothing more than a single percentage is ridiculous policy. Ultimately it wall cause a net loss in revenue for the state and our elected officials will be back in Trenton begging for more of our hard earned money. This bill is a hit for the small business community and for tax payers throughout the state. At this point we can only hope for an end of fiscal year miracle tomorrow.”
