[Dilbert San Diego]

I’m skeptical of a flip flop of taxes such as this.

So, they will raise the gas tax in exchange for a cut in the sales tax.

The problem is, will they quietly raise the sales tax back up to where it was before, somewhere down the road? Then the total tax burden will indeed be greater than it is now. And their touting this as “revenue neutral” or “tax neutral” will be a falsehood.

[Alberta's Child]

The difference in New Jersey is that the fuel tax is dedicated to the state's transportation trust fund, while the sales tax is general revenue.

Most politicians in this state -- Democrat and Republican alike -- are scratching their heads, trying to figure this one out. They are having a hard time determining the political implications for their own careers.

[kearnyirish2]

I prefer the status quo because the sales tax is the only way we get our gibsmedats to contribute anything at all.

Christie has been good on taxes, so he is still popular with the “makers”; his primary opposition is from the welfare and workfare (government worker) folks. If you saw his recent proposal (to give equal amounts per student to school districts), it really highlights how much is wasted in urban districts to produce illiterate high school grads. It may get nowhere, but it really highlights the problem...

[ConservativeMind]

I am for shifting the burden from penalizing people working in the state to penalizing people who don't pay income tax in the state. Welfare recipients and illegal income do not pay income taxes, but do very, very often, pay for gas, where this tax pulls a little something out of them. Likewise, it catches direct benefit from visitors driving through. Finally, to curb its effects, you drive a higher MPG vehicle, optimize your shopping trips, or take public transportation. With an income tax, to curb its effect, you earn illegal monies (steal, etc.) or work less.

In short, although it still hits residents, this helps collect tax for New Jersey from people who do not currently directly pay it. It is definitely a net benefit for income-producing residents.

[TangledUpInBlue]

Of course they will. Once politicians have a tax in place, it only ever goes up.