We were one of the few organizations to publicly endorse the Christie/Guadagno ticket, and our members are ready to work with Governor-elect Christie.
Instead of making healthcare more affordable, H.R. 3962 imposes more costs through its expensive employer mandates, punitive payroll taxes and a new government-run program.
We cannot afford four more years of business as usual in Trenton. Putting the right people in office will result in the right economic policies that will put New Jersey back to work.
Four years of tax hikes, fee increases, new mandates and job losses have pushed the small business community to the brink. New Jersey small business owners want a new direction, and that starts with a new governor.
We’re excited to announce the launch of SaveNewJerseyJobs.com, an interactive website that’s part of a campaign to spotlight the most important issue in November’s elections – the economy. The site is dedicated to bringing attention to critical tax and business issues and the candidates who have the opportunity to put New Jersey back to work. Visit the site to learn who’s on your side,spread the word, and contact your representatives.
We want to make sure that this election is about jobs and the economy, not the negative ads and personal attacks we've all seen of late. For small business, it's the economy.
NFIB head says president can choose to stand with small businesses who need healthcare reform.
With less than two months to go, it looks like the 2009 election will be an interesting battle. But before the ballots are even cast, politicians in Trenton are maneuvering for leadership rolls.
New Jersey residents are already the most-taxed in the nation and have already endured 115 tax increases in eight years. But Governor Corzine announced this week that he would consider raising New Jersey’s gasoline tax during a second term.
New Jersey's SBA lenders made 218 loans to small businesses in June and July, up from the 150 loans in the two months of April and May. But our members have expressed concern that their small businesses have had difficulty getting loans through the agency because their banks do not participate in the program.
All eyes are on New Jersey this year as the 2009 gubernatorial races begin to gain momentum as the November 3 Election Day approaches. Many pundits have argued that the outcome of the New Jersey election, as well as the result of the gubernatorial election in Virginia, could have national implications.
A few days before the state constitutional deadline, the $29 billion FY 2010 New Jersey State Budget was passed along party lines by both houses of the Legislature and sent to the Governor’s desk to be signed. The budget was balanced with $4.5 billion in spending cuts, $2 billion in federal stimulus finds and over $1.3 billion in tax increases.
Facing income tax receipts that are down roughly 40 percent from 2008, Governor Corzine has put property tax rebates on the chopping block and has proposed higher income taxes to balance the state's books. We are adamantly opposed to raising taxes on families and small businesses—especially in the midst of the worst recession New Jersey has faced in more than a generation.
With the gubernatorial election just months away, and in the middle of the state’s worst economic downturn in decades, Gov. Corzine and the Legislature recently proposed a budget for Fiscal Year 2010. The plan cuts spending by $3.4 billion (10 percent) below the FY 2009 State Budget of $33.2 billion, and increases taxes by $1.5 billion, including a $350 million increase in payroll taxes on all employers.
The financial crisis that began on Wall Street and spread to Detroit and corporate America has officially found its way to Main Street. The tsunami battering our economy has now breached the largest and most important segment of our economy—America’s entrepreneurs. Small business owners are hunkering down, worrying about sales, cutting back on investment and growth plans, and even beginning to cut jobs.
Facing the greatest economic crisis in at least a generation, small business owners are doing everything they can to meet payroll and keep their doors open. In fact, many small employers are taking drastic pay cuts for themselves to avert laying off valued employees.
Read the February/March 2009 MyVOICE for details on activism in New Jersey.
This week, State Treasurer David Rousseau released a list of $812 million in spending reductions proposed by Gov. Jon S. Corzine as part of a larger set of solutions for closing an estimated $2.1 billion shortfall in the FY 09 budget.
Recently, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority approved a recalibrated plan to raise tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway. Tolls will rise in 2008 and 2012, while a proposed increase for 2023 was scrapped. While NFIB/New Jersey was successful in helping to stop a more onerous proposal by Gov. Jon Corzine, and encouraged provisions that will secure a 5 percent off-peak E-Z Pass discount and an additional 5 percent for high volume truckers using the Turnpike and Parkway, the overall hike is still staggering.
Read the December/January 2009 New Jersey MyVOICE for details on issue-related focus groups, economic recovery and activism.
The political action committee of the National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s leading small business association, today announced its endorsement of candidates in New Jersey for reelection to the U.S. Congress. NFIB supports candidates who have pro-small business voting records and are strong advocates for small business owners.
The cost of driving on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway will more than double by 2023 if a proposal introduced by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority last week gets approved. These increases will be used to pay for highway road widening projects and a commuter rail tunnel to New York.
Read the October/November 2008 New Jersey MyVOICE for details on such issues as state spending, paid family leave and activism.
Read the August/September 2008 New Jersey MyVOICE for details on such issues as activism and education.
This week, Gov. Jon S.Corzine signed a $32.9 billion state budget for fiscal year 2009. The adopted budget decreases state spending by $600 million below the FY 2008 enacted state budget of $33.5 billion. The budget, passed along party lines was passed one week before the constitutional deadline. Unlike most past budgets, Corzine did not use his line-item-veto power to trim the budget further.
The National Federation of Independent Business Young Entrepreneur Foundation has announced the New Jersey recipients of the sixth annual NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards, a scholarship program designed to reward and encourage entrepreneurial talents among high school students. The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award recipients will attend the university, college, community college or vocational/technical institute of their choice with $1,000-$10,000 in tuition assistance from the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation.
Small businesses that believe they are economically harmed by government regulations would be able to bring their case to court under NFIB/New Jersey supported legislation passed by the Senate Economic Growth Committee last week.
"We are disappointed Governor Corzine chose to sign this legislation and ignore the real-world experience of small business owners who have spoken out at great length about the difficulties this new law will create."
In an effort to save the state $85 million, Gov. John Corzine has announced that property tax rebates will not increase this year. The rebates, for those that qualify for them, will equal 20 percent of 2006 property tax bills, not 20 percent of 2007 bills. The bottom line is that most households with a total income of less than $100,000 will receive the same rebate this year as they did last year -- even as their property taxes increased.
After passing the Assembly by a vote of 46-32-2, the amended paid family leave legislation, which will provide up to six weeks of paid family leave to employees at all businesses, was stalled when it returned to the Senate for a concurrent vote. During the voting session a procedural issue was raised that precluding the Senate from approving the legislation during the last voting session before the budget break. Legislative leadership and the governor continue to tell the business community that they are committed to seeing this bill become law this spring.
Small businesses that feel that they are unfairly burdened by government regulation will be able to take their case to court under legislation released recently by the Assembly Economic Growth Committee. This proposal, a priority issue for NFIB/New Jersey, would expand New Jersey's Regulatory Flexibility Act to permit businesses with less than 100 employees to appeal to the courts if they have been economically harmed by the actions of a governmental agency. In addition, the bill requires governmental agencies to simplify and consolidate reporting requirements for small businesses. This legislation now heads to the full Assembly for a vote.
A survey of our membership released to the media helped torpedo the plan to raise tolls across New Jersey! The rapid and overwhelming response of our members -- 90 percent of respondents across the state opposed the proposal -- was a key reason the proposal was left for dead in the governor’s budget address this afternoon.
Your voice was heard loud and clear. While we face significant challenges in the weeks and months ahead on paid family leave and other issues, today was a great example of how important our collective voice can be in Trenton.
The Superior Court of New Jersey issued a critically important decision to private-property owners in a case dealing with the state's interpretation of how properties can be deemed "blighted" and consequently ripe for eminent domain takings. To the delight of property owners, the Superior Court overruled the trial court's decision and held that the law only allows a property to be deemed "blighted" in narrow circumstances. The National Federation of Independent Legal Foundation participated in this case and strongly urged the court to find in favor of the small-business property owners.
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