OT: Looks like gas is going up 23 cents a gallon in NJ

[rutgersdave]

apparently he knows nothing about what he speaks of. us adults can continue the conversation without him.

You are far from knowing what you are talking about. You need to read and do more research.

http://wills.about.com/od/newjersey/qt/newjerseyinheritancetax.htm

There are two separate taxes in New Jersey, the inheritance tax and the estate tax. Children and parents are exempt from the inheritance tax, however, other relatives like nephew, brother, sister and nieces do pay the inheritance tax. The Estate tax is paid be everyone but has a $675,000 exemption.

 

[newell138]

The state senate is voting on this today or tomorrow I think. If you are against it, take the time to send your senator an email and tell them how you feel!!

If you don't know who he or she is, follow this link to find out.

http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/njmap210.html

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

They will be voting on Thursday. Please email them and ask them to vote no.

 

[bac2therac]

Let's get rid of those pesky pedestrian crossing signs, too. How many people really walk these days and should they really be allowed to cross the street?

Handicap ramps and parking spaces? How much money in materials and paint are we wasting? For a handful of folks in wheelchairs? Let them make their own municipalities and pay for that crap!

again you miss the point, when you start to see these things in places where NO ONE EVER EVEN WALKS like I do around my area, you will see how the government continues to waste money

 

[LevaosLectures]

again you miss the point, when you start to see these things in places where NO ONE EVER EVEN WALKS like I do around my area, you will see how the government continues to waste money

Just start your own Ayn Rand fantasy nation where there are no taxes or crosswalks.

 

[Armor and Sword]

again you miss the point, when you start to see these things in places where NO ONE EVER EVEN WALKS like I do around my area, you will see how the government continues to waste money

Pedestrian signs in areas where no one walks may be done so that the state or municipality better manages (or avoids) liability if someone were to walk in an area and gets hit by a car. In some states, a road shoulder is a legal pedestrian way. There are also legal pedestrian crossings that are unmarked. On the flip side, in PA you will see many no pedestrian (walking figure with a circle/slash) at state road intersections. Not only to avoid liability but I also suspect to get out of ADA compliance to get out of building curb ramps, sidewalks, ped signals and detectable warnings (the red bumpy mats).

More ands more states are tolling roadways. I recently drove on a toll road in one place you would not suspect has toll roads: Greenville South Carolina. I paid nearly 10 bucks to drive 11 miles! At that rate, Northeast US toll roads are a bargain compared to that.

 

[MORRISCOUNTY]

This is about making us competitive with other states. This is not about whether the people should pay a death tax or not.

Other states have no death tax. In 2016 you do not have to live in NJ. You can go to other states with lower taxes.

Christie just screwed everyone in Morris, Monmouth, Hunterdon and Somerset counties. He promised to lower the death taxes and he did not do it.

Nobody is leaving the state because of the sales tax, but they are leaving the state to avoid the death tax.

The Democrats will raise the sales tax the first day they are in office.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

This is about making us competitive with other states. This is not about whether the people should pay a death tax or not.

Other states have no death tax. In 2016 you do not have to live in NJ. You can go to other states with lower taxes.

Christie just screwed everyone in Morris, Monmouth, Hunterdon and Somerset counties. He promised to lower the death taxes and he did not do it.

Nobody is leaving the state because of the sales tax, but they are leaving the state to avoid the death tax.

The Democrats will raise the sales tax the first day they are in office.

People will work here since jobs pay more, but no one in their right mind wants to retire in NJ. For some reason some people here just do not get that. Also if you have the type of job where you don't actually need to live here, those people will leave as well. It should not and does not have to be this way, but ... Trenton... that's all.

 

[newell138]

RU alum, and my senator Jeff Van Drew has responded to my email that he will be voting NO, so thats good.

 

[NotInRHouse]

If gas tax is voted down, what is the solution?

God forbid a bridge or road collapses, what then?

At some point people complaining about spending have to realize, we do have to spend on some things. We all benefit from having roads not on the verge of collapse. I really don't understand the complaining. You don't balance your personal checkbook by letting your roof cave in.

The $675,000 limit is ridiculously low and essentially a middle class tax imposition. OTOH, we all use gas in one form or another. This seems fair.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

If the gas tax passes the odds of all that extra money being used to fix bridges and roads are pretty much silm and none. Please take your head out of the sand or elsewhere if you actually think that is what this is about.

If Trenton was serious about fixing roads and bridges they would just take the money currently being wasted on vanity projects and money pits and use that to fix everything.

 

[MORRISCOUNTY]

If you are going to raise the gas tax $.23 you must eliminate some of the death taxes.

Senator Beck and Senator Doherty get it, why doesn't Christie get it?

I would rather raise the sales tax and lower the death tax than do what Christie is proposing.

Nobody is leaving the state because of the sales tax. What is going on?

 

[Wolv RU]

I don't have a general problem raising the gas tax. It probably should have been raised years ago, and seems like a classic example of politicians not wanting to make difficult choices making the medicine much more difficult later. I would bet most would be more comfortable with the gas tax hike in the following scenario:
1. They should guarantee (by constitutional amendment?) that all gas tax revenue must be used on transportation projects.
2. The tax hike should be paired with at least some form of efficiency increase in the way the money is spent. Whether it is additional oversight, or some change in whatever is driving up construction costs in NJ as compared to elsewhere.
3. There should be either a toll reduction or NJ Transit fare reduction.

The estate / sales taxes are separate issues that probably also need to be addressed, but as for the gas tax, the debate would be better focused on transportation than blowing a separate hole in the NJ budget that only makes it seem like gas tax revenues will be diverted to plug.

Finally, having a gas tax is much more efficient than toll roads (probably the alternative to raising the gas tax). Think about the cost in tolls per mile to drive on NJTP or GSPW -- a $0.23 is a drop in the bucket comparatively.

 

[FanuSanu52]

again you miss the point, when you start to see these things in places where NO ONE EVER EVEN WALKS like I do around my area, you will see how the government continues to waste money

Maybe that's because you didn't make the point? Or any point?

 

[Wolv RU]

If you are going to raise the gas tax $.23 you must eliminate some of the death taxes.

Senator Beck and Senator Doherty get it, why doesn't Christie get it?

I would rather raise the sales tax and lower the death tax than do what Christie is proposing.

Nobody is leaving the state because of the sales tax. What is going on?

Why does a gas tax raise need to be paired with any other tax? That doesn't work unless they actually propose spending cuts in the NJ budget at the same time (I think, given the tax level in NJ, if there were a comprehensive spending reduction plan actually proposed, it would be well supported). All it means is that the general fund will be short funds and they'll either borrow or divert transportation funds.

 

[vkj91]

If gas tax is voted down, what is the solution?

God forbid a bridge or road collapses, what then?

At some point people complaining about spending have to realize, we do have to spend on some things. We all benefit from having roads not on the verge of collapse. I really don't understand the complaining. You don't balance your personal checkbook by letting your roof cave in.

The $675,000 limit is ridiculously low and essentially a middle class tax imposition. OTOH, we all use gas in one form or another. This seems fair.

Do we have a list of bridges and roads that need immediate work?
If so, do we know what the costs will be?
Can we find that money somewhere else? If not, can we 100% guarantee this tax will be used to fix those bridges and roads?
Wasn't the stimulus supposed to fix these infrastructre issues? Didn't we get like 10 billion?

 

[Scarlet_Monster]

How about suing Zoffinger, and everyone involved in that debacle of Xanadu/American Dream/Etc.

13 years, 3.5 billion down the drain, and nothing to show for it.

That's a decent chunk of money that could've helped rebuild roads etc.

 

[MulletCork]

This Christie press conference right now is mind bottling.
Wow, the way he is spinning this has me dizzy.

 

[RUsSKii]

Do we have a list of bridges and roads that need immediate work?
If so, do we know what the costs will be?
Can we find that money somewhere else? If not, can we 100% guarantee this tax will be used to fix those bridges and roads?
Wasn't the stimulus supposed to fix these infrastructre issues? Didn't we get like 10 billion?

The NJ Department of Transportation (to whom these gas tax revenues would be going) should either already have or come up with a comprehensive list.

After all, it is not responsible for the following vehicular roadway/structure/facility work:
-The New Jersey Turnpike Authority's maintenance of existing highway facilities and capital $2.2 billion NJ Turnpike Interchange 6 to 9 Widening, Garden State Parkway Interchange 36 to 80 Widening, and numerous interchange improvement projects are done with toll revenues.
-The Port Authority of NY & NJ is responsible for all tolled NJ to Staten Island and Manhattan crossings, at least four local NY/NJ airports, and NJ ports; the Delaware River and Bay Authority owns tolled NJ to Delaware crossings, and most tolled NJ to Pennsylvania crossings are maintained by the Delaware River Port Authority of PA & NJ.
-Individual NJ county departments of public works are responsible for maintaining their respective county roads/bridges, while municipalities are generally responsible for maintaining their respective local roads/facilities.

So in my rudimentary assessment, that leaves interstate highways 76/8/80/195/287/280/295, all NJ state and U.S. highways to the NJ DOT.
A special case is the ongoing Pulaski Skyway redecking, for which at least some funding is coming from the cancelled ARC tunnel.

 

[Upstream]

The NJ Department of Transportation (to whom these gas tax revenues would be going) should either already have or come up with a comprehensive list.

After all, it is not responsible for the following vehicular roadway/structure/facility work:
-The New Jersey Turnpike Authority's maintenance of existing highway facilities and capital $2.2 billion NJ Turnpike Interchange 6 to 9 Widening, Garden State Parkway Interchange 36 to 80 Widening, and numerous interchange improvement projects are done with toll revenues.
-The Port Authority of NY & NJ is responsible for all tolled NJ to Staten Island and Manhattan crossings, at least four local NY/NJ airports, and NJ ports; the Delaware River and Bay Authority owns tolled NJ to Delaware crossings, and most tolled NJ to Pennsylvania crossings are maintained by the Delaware River Port Authority of PA & NJ.
-Individual NJ county departments of public works are responsible for maintaining their respective county roads/bridges, while municipalities are generally responsible for maintaining their respective local roads/facilities.

So in my rudimentary assessment, that leaves interstate highways 76/8/80/195/287/280/295, all NJ state and U.S. highways to the NJ DOT.
A special case is the ongoing Pulaski Skyway redecking, for which at least some funding is coming from the cancelled ARC tunnel.

The transportation trust fund also provides "local aid" money to counties and municipalities for their road repairs and construction. This year, about 22% of the money went to local aid.

 

[MORRISCOUNTY]

The gas tax increase needs to be paired with tax breaks in other areas so that the men and women in Trenton do not just take more of our money and spend it for their own needs.

They are desperate to get the transportation trust fund filled with money using taxpayers money.

If they are so desperate, you get a tax break somewhere else to offset the increased burden.

Christie's idea of reducing the sales tax is insane. That will do nothing to stop the big problems that we have in this state and will leave us with bigger deficits than reducing the death taxes.

Go to Senator Becks site. She just wanted to increase the Estate Tax deduction to $2.5 million to make us more competitive with other states. Common sense.

 

[robcac26]

If gas tax is voted down, what is the solution?

God forbid a bridge or road collapses, what then?

At some point people complaining about spending have to realize, we do have to spend on some things. We all benefit from having roads not on the verge of collapse. I really don't understand the complaining.

You don't balance your personal checkbook by letting your roof cave in.

Right, you balance it by spending less on stuff that is less important and using that money on the roof. Please contact your senator to suggest that they do that.

 

[rutgersdave]

Do we have a list of bridges and roads that need immediate work?
If so, do we know what the costs will be?
Can we find that money somewhere else? If not, can we 100% guarantee this tax will be used to fix those bridges and roads?
Wasn't the stimulus supposed to fix these infrastructre issues? Didn't we get like 10 billion?

The stimulus money was given to each state since each state knew of immediate projects that needed to be done but the states decided to keep the teachers from being laid off when the revenues fell thru the floor and used it for operating expenses. The state did pave quite a few roads I remember that but not many bridges were fixed.

 

[brianoc]

Why does a gas tax raise need to be paired with any other tax? That doesn't work unless they actually propose spending cuts in the NJ budget at the same time (I think, given the tax level in NJ, if there were a comprehensive spending reduction plan actually proposed, it would be well supported). All it means is that the general fund will be short funds and they'll either borrow or divert transportation funds.

The governor would not sign a gas tax increase without some corresponding cut in some other tax

 

[Wolv RU]

again you miss the point, when you start to see these things in places where NO ONE EVER EVEN WALKS like I do around my area, you will see how the government continues to waste money

Is the state of NJ mandating or paying for those crossings?

The governor would not sign a gas tax increase without some corresponding cut in some other tax

I understand that, but I disagree with that policy without point out where the cuts are going to come from in the state budget up front. It is easy to demand tax cuts, and hard to cut expenses.

 

[T2Kplus10]

The governor would not sign a gas tax increase without some corresponding cut in some other tax

I think this gas/sales tax plan is dead, we will see tomorrow. They will likely borrow money for 2 years and kick the can down the road for the next Governor. Vote wisely!

 

[NotInRHouse]

Do we have a list of bridges and roads that need immediate work?
If so, do we know what the costs will be?
Can we find that money somewhere else? If not, can we 100% guarantee this tax will be used to fix those bridges and roads?
Wasn't the stimulus supposed to fix these infrastructre issues? Didn't we get like 10 billion?

If we do not we should. I can think of several all over the state.

Can we find the money somewhere else? Yes, we can legalize marijuana and in a few years we could probably lower tuition at RU while expanding the stadium and have every pothole and broken bridge fixed. But we are working within the political reality we have.

Can we 100% ever guarantee any money? I doubt they were planning to redo Route 35, but Sandy happened. Crap happens. The problem is that NJ voters seem to be unwilling to vote out members of either party whose crap is double dipping, crazy pensions, and other giveaways.

NJ is in such bad shape that it is not enough. I don't even drive to work anymore, but I feel like I'm the only person here that drives- 1/9, 78, 24 and parts of the NJTPK are a total mess. Not to mention the train tunnels under the Hudson are in seriously bad shape.

 

[NotInRHouse]

If the gas tax passes the odds of all that extra money being used to fix bridges and roads are pretty much silm and none. Please take your head out of the sand or elsewhere if you actually think that is what this is about.

If Trenton was serious about fixing roads and bridges they would just take the money currently being wasted on vanity projects and money pits and use that to fix everything.

And god forbid what happens in Minnesota happens here, do you volunteer to be the one to tell the families of the victims and the thousands of people who cannot access jobs and services "NJ is so corrupt so better to let a bridge collapse than raise the gas tax?"

 

[NotInRHouse]

Right, you balance it by spending less on stuff that is less important and using that money on the roof. Please contact your senator to suggest that they do that.

I am in reality, my goal is not to fall into the Newark Bay when driving over the Skyway.

I am very much against corruption, and I hate to be selfish but I would rather not die than have politicians make a stand.

I think you need to understand, politics is horsetrading, a negotiation. Think of your WATNA- worst alternative to a negotiated agreement. In this case is it up to hundreds of deaths and millions or billions in economic damage from a road collapse.

 

[needmorecowbell]

If this money actually goes toward improving our crappy roads I will be all for it.

If.... Maybe for one year, then it will go to fund something else and we'll be in the same hole.

 

[robcac26]

I am in reality, my goal is not to fall into the Newark Bay when driving over the Skyway.

I am very much against corruption, and I hate to be selfish but I would rather not die than have politicians make a stand.

I think you need to understand, politics is horsetrading, a negotiation. Think of your WATNA- worst alternative to a negotiated agreement. In this case is it up to hundreds of deaths and millions or billions in economic damage from a road collapse.

Give me a break, you're telling me there is no way to cut spending from something else to find the money for the roads? It's going to be too hard to get that passed so instead of hoping for a sensible solution let's all be happy with them taxing the crap out of us even more? You have such a defeatist attitude I don't know why you even bother voting.

 

[FELONIOUSMONK]

Steel is going up 40 percent or so. Has not been raised for the most part in 5 years. . Is what it is..

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

And god forbid what happens in Minnesota happens here, do you volunteer to be the one to tell the families of the victims and the thousands of people who cannot access jobs and services "NJ is so corrupt so better to let a bridge collapse than raise the gas tax?"

Oh please, answer me this question, Why did the The New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority (TTFA) go broke in the 1st place when there was so much money there to fix everything?

Go and start doing your research, please no opinion just post the facts.

If anyone else wants to answer this question to , please feel free.

 

[newell138]

If they really needed the extra money to fix the roads and bridges then they should flat out say thats what 100% of the money will be used for, but they don't.

Bottom line is there are so many other ways to cut waste and fraud before they raise taxes even more. Its more a principal thing for me, I work from home and barely buy any gas. I'm just sick of the way this state does business.

 

[ruhudsonfan]

I haven't read all of these posts, but the idea that a rise in the gas tax won't be passed along to consumers is wrong on the B2B side. We saw it in the restaurant business in the mid to late 2000s. As overall gas prices went up, purveyors added one line items to every invoice--"Fuel Surcharge." It varied, but was usually between $5-$7 per invoice. If you had 10-12 purveyors showing up at the backdoor every day, 6 days a week, it was a substantial bump in expenses. We absolutely passed it along by discreetly raising menu prices on certain items.

 

[NotInRHouse]

Give me a break, you're telling me there is no way to cut spending from something else to find the money for the roads? It's going to be too hard to get that passed so instead of hoping for a sensible solution let's all be happy with them taxing the crap out of us even more? You have such a defeatist attitude I don't know why you even bother voting.

The "never compromise" attitude is what brought us the shutdown and all the problems we now have.

 

[brianoc]

I had several bills that added a fuel surcharge to my invoices as a homeowner. One I recall is the trash pick up.

 

[NotInRHouse]

Oh please, answer me this question, Why did the The New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority (TTFA) go broke in the 1st place when there was so much money there to fix everything?

Go and start doing your research, please no opinion just post the facts.

If anyone else wants to answer this question to , please feel free.

Because it spent the money on road projects. Who said there was so much money? The whole problem is the fund went dry on existing projects.

Do you still live in NJ? Do you not notice construction? Do you think our roads are in great shape?

That is an idea right there- pensions are too high, so until they are reformed, no more money. If we have another hurricane, rebuild your own damn roads!

When the tunnel under the Hudson breaks, let's just hope no one is on a train, and all the NYC employers of NJ residents will allow everyone to work at home for a few years.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

So just like I thought you did zero research.

Why would you try to have a discussion without knowing what you are even discussing?

The reason why it is.going broke is because they took money from it to pay for other projects not at all related to roads or bridges.

This is not a secret at all. Just do a simple google search and click on any news site.

Knowing this how can anyone in their right mind argue that this is a good idea when there is ZERO in the current bill that says that the tax money collected can only be used for bridges and roads?

Just looking at recent history it should.be very clear that it was done by design so they can use that money for other projects down the road.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

Here is a good article to read: neutral , just stating the facts and all sides of the story:

http://www.app.com/story/news/traffic/commuting/2015/12/18/nj-gas-tax-trust-fund/76981886/