- 2022-09-14
- NJBIZ Op-Ed
MTA’s ‘congestion pricing’ proposal to assess steep fees on N.J. drivers heading into NYC is ill-conceived cash grab
New Jersey businesses and residents are currently coping with the severest inflation in a generation — especially in gas and energy prices — and, now, we have the Metropolitan Transportation Authority proposing what it euphemistically calls a “congestion pricing plan” — what is actually a toll increase on New Jersey drivers heading into New York City.
Make no mistake, this proposed MTA toll hike is aimed directly at the wallets of New Jersey’s businesses and commuters.
Let’s be honest about the $740B US Inflation Reduction Act It’s good – and it’s bad – for New Jersey
- 2022-09-09
- NJBIZ Op-Ed
It’s good – and it’s bad – for New Jersey
Politicians in New Jersey and around the country are working overtime to sell the benefits of the $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act that President Joseph Biden recently signed. They are calling it a signature achievement for his administration.
Indeed there are benefits: subsidies for many Americans who buy health insurance on the individual market; $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket costs to Medicare recipients; lower costs of some medications for older adults; and big investments to combat climate change, such as clean energy tax credits for consumers and manufacturers.
But, as we all know, no legislation is perfect and the bad must be evaluated along with the good, especially when it comes to the impact on New Jersey and its residents.
These Women, Who Embody the Best of Outside-the-Box Thinking, Will Receive the N.J. Chamber's 'Women Leaders in Innovation' Award
DeAnna Minus-Vincent
Executive Vice President, Chief Social Justice and Accountability Officer
RWJBarnabas Health
Jill Johnson
Co-Founder and CEO
Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership
Amirah Hussain has joined the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce as director of government relations, where she will advocate on behalf of the business community, primarily in health care, economic development and taxation. Amirah reports to Michael Egenton, executive vice president of government relations with the Chamber.
- 2022-07-28
- ROI-NJ Op-Ed
States across U.S. are using federal pandemic relief to help strengthen their business climates. N.J. should, too
Before signing the new state budget, Gov. Phil Murphy repeatedly said that he wants New Jersey’s taxpayers to get the biggest bang for their buck.
Taxpayers would have seen the biggest bang had the Fiscal Year 2023 state budget invested adequately in New Jersey’s small businesses — the constituency that creates the jobs and generates the tax revenue to support the governor’s programs.
Unfortunately, the new budget does not do that.
- 2022-07-27
- ROI-NJ
Pa.’s plan to dramatically drop business tax rate has some asking: Why not here?
- 2022-07-12
A New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation program that helps high school students graduate and develop college and workplace skills was honored yesterday at an event in Las Vegas. The program, ‘Jobs for America’s Graduates New Jersey’ (JAG NJ), received national honors for its effective work assisting high school students – once considered at-risk for dropping out of school – graduate and go on to succeed in full-time jobs, the military or post-secondary education.
The state’s $50.6 billion budget becomes law today and, as the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce pointed out yesterday, a meager $50 million (one tenth of one percent) is allocated to support the business community in response to our repeated pleas for the state to help small business.
And as we have also pointed out earlier, this was an enormous opportunity missed to right our economic ship.
The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce anticipates the state Legislature will pass the FY2023 budget and Gov. Murphy will sign it into law this week.
This budget surpasses $50 billion in spending – by far a record for this state.
- 2022-06-16
The announcement yesterday by Gov. Murphy, Senate President Scutari and Assembly Speaker Coughlin of $2 billion in property tax relief as part of the ANCHOR program is good news for many New Jersey residents and a step toward making New Jersey more affordable.
Unfortunately, the ANCHOR program provides no property tax relief to New Jersey businesses which pay about half of the state’s property taxes and are still trying to recover from the unprecedented fiscal challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.