TRENTON – Sen. Jeff Van Drew issued the following statement Oct. 7 on passage by the Senate of a plan to raise the gas tax by 23 cents a gallon to replenish the Transportation Trust Fund. Van Drew voted against the proposal, according to a release:
“This is the wrong way forward. Residents are taxed, tolled, feed, charged and assessed to death in this state. Middle-class and working people are just trying to make enough to pay their mortgage or rent, to put food on the table, and if they’re lucky to take a vacation on occasion. Increasing the gas tax will only make it harder to make ends meet.
“In South Jersey, this will be especially harmful. We have less mass transit and residents have to commute farther to work, to school, to doctor’s appointments and, in more rural areas, even to get to the drug store. We have the lowest per capita income in deep South Jersey, and many people are struggling to get by. People can’t afford to pay more at the pump.
“I’m concerned that a gas tax increase will also harm our fishing, construction and marine industries, as well as farmers, who will have to pay more to keep their equipment running.
“I voted against this proposal because increasing the gas tax, one of the few taxes where New Jersey is competitive with other states, is the wrong thing to do.”
Cape May – Last week I witnessed a woman helping a man who seemed to be having difficulty getting up in the water. the next thing I saw was she also was injured. My Uber ride was there to take me to the…
