October 22, 2009
National Review Highlights Tax Foundation Rankings of New Jersey Taxes
"Hope and Change in New Jersey"
By the editors
A decade of Democratic governance has left New Jersey in terrible shape. Incumbent governor Jon Corzine is in danger of losing, even though the state went 57-42 for Obama. Joe Biden and Bill Clinton have campaigned with Corzine this week—and Obama himself visited the state yesterday—in an effort to drag Corzine across the finish line. New Jerseyans should block their path.
Corzine looks safer today than he did three months ago, when polls showed Republican Chris Christie leading by double-digit margins. Since then, a string of attack ads from the deep-pocketed Corzine and a challenge from independent candidate Chris Daggett have cut into Christie's lead. Some Republicans have criticized Christie, a former U.S. attorney, for running a lackadaisical campaign. His backers reply that campaigning is hard when your opponent is using his Goldman Sachs millions to outspend you three-to-one. No matter: Christie should spend the remaining days hammering away single-mindedly on a simple theme: A vote for Corzine (or Daggett) is a vote for higher taxes.
According to The Tax Foundation, New Jersey's state-and-local tax burden is the worst in the country. Its tax climate for business ranks dead last. New Jersey residents pay the highest property taxes in the nation. The voters are fed up. In poll after poll, they name taxes as their top concern, and Corzine's record on this issue is abysmal and unpopular.
