Stuff in the ‘Taxes Economy and Outmigration’ Category
New Study: Gov. Murphy’s School Policies and Inaction Will Cause Long-Term Damage to NJ Kids and the State Economy
Posted On12/30/2022 byAt long last, and only after a great deal of public outcry, Gov. Murphy’s Department of Education finally released the full dataset from last spring’s state tests. This means that we now know the district-level results and community leaders, school administrators and parents know where and how much remediation is needed — and there is…Read More
Truth In Accounting 2022 Survey: New Jersey’s Financial Condition Is Dead Last in the Nation
Posted On12/21/2022 byDespite federal pandemic relief funds, record tax revenues and a lot of happy talk from Gov. Murphy, New Jersey’s long-term financial condition was ranked the worst in the nation. That’s according to Truth In Accounting (TIA), which just published its 13th annual review “Financial State of the States 2022.” While the Murphy touts New Jersey’s various…Read More
While Gov. Murphy Eyes a 2024 White House Run, NJ Had the Nation’s Worst Business Climate for Every Year He’s Been in Office
Posted On11/10/2022 byAs New jersey moves on from the midterms, we all need to be reminded that for the 8th year in a row, New Jersey came in dead last in the Tax Foundation‘s rankings of state tax climates for businesses. That means that New Jersey has been dead last for every single year of Gov. Murphy’s…Read More
Census Bureau: From 2011-2020, NJ Public School Enrollment Down -3%, Spending Up +27%
Posted On10/14/2022 bySeldom does one chart tell you so much about the influence of politically powerful special interests over New Jersey’s political system. In this case, it’s the influence of New Jersey’s largest teachers union and most powerful special interest, the NJEA, over Gov. Murphy. Sunlight just reviewed the US Census Bureau’s most recent surveys of public…Read More
Reality Check: NJ Corporate, Property Taxes Still Highest in the Nation; Jobs Recovery Remains Weak
Posted On09/27/2022 byGov. Murphy has been loudly touting New Jersey’s ratings upgrades from the three major bond-rating agencies. The upgrades are indeed good news – so far as it goes. New Jersey has benefited from record tax revenues as well as billions in federal dollars, which has allowed Murphy to make full pension payments, pay down some…Read More
NJ101.5 Gets It Wrong About Healthcare Premium Hikes for Teachers: Property Taxpayers Will Pick Up the Tab
Posted On09/20/2022 byUnfortunately, a recent news story by NJ101.5 got it all wrong about an increase in teacher healthcare premiums. We have nothing against NJ101.5, which usually does a good job reporting, but they failed to do basic research here and have obscured rather than clarified the facts. The first sentence of the NJ101.5 piece reads: “New Jersey…Read More
The Recent Government Employee Healthcare Protests Explained: NJ Taxpayers Will Lose Again
Posted On09/15/2022 byGiven the protests in Trenton and the loud public outcry, Sunlight will weigh in on the health benefit premium hikes for New Jersey government employees, if only to clarify matters for our readers. There was a protest yesterday by state and municipal employees about the 20% rate hikes for their health insurance benefits. It was…Read More
CNBC Study: New Jersey’s Economy under Gov. Murphy Was Worst in the Nation Last Year
Posted On08/09/2022 byMoving away from the NJEA’s on-going attempts to push teachers into local political action – whether by advocating for radical education policies or running candidates for school board – Sunlight will highlight CNBC’s recent study “America’s Top States for Business.” The news for New Jersey is not good. We quote: “The biggest decline [from last…Read More
New Sweeney Center Report on NJ Budget Is a Valuable and Ominous Warning
Posted On06/17/2022 bySunlight wanted to comment on a recent report from former-Senate President Steve Sweeney’s Center for Public Policy at Rowan University. The report is the work of a bipartisan Multi-Year Budget Workgroup and constitutes a valuable contribution to the discussion about New Jersey’s fiscal future. As we approach the beginning of FY2023, it is imperative that…Read More
More Data Showing NJ Is Losing People and Wealth to Other States: Please Take Note, Tom Moran
Posted On06/06/2022 byThe Star-Ledger’s Tom Moran has been having a back-and-forth with Sunlight over whether New Jersey has an out-migration problem. We respect Moran and have found him to be a good-faith interlocutor and we have some data to add to the discussion. Here’s the argument in a nutshell. Moran contends that New Jersey’s outmigration problem is…Read More