Gov. Murphy now wants to tax fun in NJ (Opinion)

Full disclosure. I never voted for Phil Murphy. So am I a bit biased? You can decide that.

Here’s a guy who, honest to God, doesn’t look like he’s ever had a fun day in his whole life. Remember the night he won the first election in 2017 when he tried to show his exuberance by leaping sideways on stage? (Click here for a cringey reminder) It looked forced, like the lamest white man celebratory end zone move in recorded history.

So should we be surprised that as he presented the largest, most bloated budget in New Jersey’s history, it would come with desperate ways to pay for it all, including a tax on fun?

Check out the list of “fun” he now wants to tax.

If you participate in a batting cage, on a basketball court, at a tennis court, it will come with a tax if the legislature goes along with him.

If you shoot billiards in a pool hall, there will be a tax.

If you dare to be exhilarated and get your heart racing by bungee jumping, that’s a tax. Gee, Phil, why don’t you just tax orgasms next?

There’s so much more. Like skating rinks, ski lift tickets, sky diving all would come with a tax. Paintball? A tax. Laser tag? Pay up.

How dare you want to put your kid in a go-kart. Tax for that. Take them bowling? A tax will add to mom and dad’s cost.

Taxes on water slides, golf courses, fishing piers. Basically, a tax on having any fun whatsoever. Because, you know, New Jersey apparently isn’t expensive enough as is.

Even Democrats are bristling at the suggestions.

“Everyone who is a parent has hosted birthday parties at these places, and working families don’t deserve that,” Assembly Majority Leader Democrat Lou Greenwald said. “Given what we have done to reduce property taxes, I don’t want to distort that message by taxing laser tag and bowling.”

This was only a partial list. It’s unconscionable to me to introduce new taxes at a time when egg prices are sky high, grocery prices haven’t come down, and consumer confidence dropped to its lowest level in over four years.

Are these draconian taxes making you feel powerful, Phil? Is this fun for you? Maybe we should tax that.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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