Murphy Says He May Raise Taxes Next Year

As many of us still try to figure out how this guy got elected, Gov. Phil Murphy was asked if he planned on raising more taxes in 2019 at a news conference Wednesday. His answer?

"It's too early to tell."

A politics to English translator would return that as... yes.

He droned on, "But it's not too early to talk about principles - things that we care about - and tax fairness is on that list."

Tax fairness? When did we hear that last? Oh yeah, when Christie kept justifying hiking the gas tax. However for the average New Jerseyan it wasn't fair at all.

Asked directly about tax hikes Murphy said, "I don't know why I'd take anything off the table right now. I would say anything is on the table. Period. Full stop."

So there you have it. With a new budget plan to be unveiled in early March you can bet from these tea leaves that we're going to have another round of tax hikes in an already overburdened state. He won't say which ones, or how much. But you know it's coming.

In his first year in office he sought $1.7 billion in higher taxes. Yet he remains one of the most popular governors in New Jersey at the one year mark. That's math that doesn't add up for me. I suppose when he's rewarded by the electorate with sound poll numbers it lets him know there are enough masochists in New Jersey to accept another round of higher taxes.

Happy New Year suckers!