Jersey drivers get reprieve from proposed gas tax hike

TRENTON, N.J. — Fill 'er up — for now.

The New Jersey state Senate isn't expected to take any action Thursday on either of the proposed bills that would raise the state's gasoline tax by 23 cents overnight.

If legislators were to pass and Gov. Chris Christie signed a gasoline tax bill on Thursday, gasoline that costs $2.06 per gallon Thursday would have cost $2.29 per gallon on Friday morning.

Filling up a 14-gallon tank currently costs about $29. With the gasoline tax hike, it would cost about $32.

"We're not going to take any action on either bill today," said Democratic Senate President Stephen Sweeney. "The Senate just doesn’t agree with the Assembly’s bill. It's too expensive.

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After negotiations with Christie, the Assembly on early Tuesday morning passed a bill that would raise the state's gasoline tax to 37.5 cents per gallon, seventh highest in the United States, and cut the sales tax from 7% to 6% over an 18-month period.

But that bill has faced criticism over its fiscal impact: Legislative estimates predict an average revenue loss of $1.4 billion over the first six years of the plan.

It was championed by Christie, who spent much of the last three days promoting the bill as a "broad-based tax cut," coupled with an eight-year Transportation Trust Fund that would pay for $2 billion annually in road repairs, mass transit and bridge construction.

“There are many Republicans who don’t think we should increase the gas tax at all. There are Democrats who don’t like any tax cuts," Christie said on Wednesday. "That’s why this works — because it goes to average New Jerseyans.”

But it is likely dead in the water. Democratic Sen. Paul Sarlo said there was no support in the Senate.

"There's no votes for the Assembly bill. Even if I wanted to get somebody to vote for it, I couldn't," he said.

He said the Senate and Assembly are "talking" about a compromise on both pieces of legislation, including a bipartisan plan he introduced alongside Republican Sen. Steve Oroho.

That plan, which would raise the gas tax by 23 cents and phase out the estate tax, never received a vote in the Senate or Assembly after Democrats were unable to secure enough Republican support to override an expected Christie veto.

Christie on Wednesday was perturbed when asked about legislators possibly delaying a gasoline tax hike.

"It's irresponsible. They have all the information they need to make a decision," he said.

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