Rejecting the advice of his transportation transition team, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said on Monday that he would not increase the state's gasoline tax or tolls on state freeways in order to shore up the state's budget and transportation trust fund.
"I don't favor tolls on the roads that don't currently have them, and I do not favor and will not sign any increase for a gas tax," Christie said at a Statehouse news conference in Trenton called to announce a pick for his cabinet.
His transition team had recommended raising the state's gas tax, currently among the nation's lowest at 14.5 cents per gallon, and charging tolls on some of the state's currently free highways, such as Interstates 80, 195, 287 and 295, in order to shore up the state's shaky finances.
Gas tax revenues go into the state's Transportation Trust Fund, which is projected to run out of money for new projects in 18 months. Previous stopgap measures to balance the state budget transferred several free Interstates, including Interstate 195 from Trenton to the shore, to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which operates two of the state's three toll roads.
At the news conference, Christie explained that he gave his transition teams leeway to recommend whatever they saw fit to address the problems they were handed, but the ultimate decisions remained his and the lieutenant governor's to make. "People are struggling. Now is not the time to raise taxes and fees," he said.
The state's fiscal 2011 budget is projected to run a deficit of $11 billion if all obligations and programs are fully funded. In making this announcement, Christie honored a pledge he made not to raise taxes once elected during his campaign for governor. New Jersey's local property taxes are among the highest in the nation.
Written by Sandy Smith
For HULIQ.com
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