Testa Blasts Murphy for Increasing Taxes on Working Poor to Write Checks to Illegals

Mere months before a double-digit increase in the payroll tax on workers, the Murphy Administration announced plans for a $40 million give-away program for illegal immigrants.

Recently, it was revealed a web site operated by the Department of Human Services will help distribute taxpayer money to immigrants who failed to qualify to federal stimulus payments because they are here illegally.

“The Governor’s priorities are convoluted and unjustifiable. He should have avoided this regressive tax increase on low-income earners. Instead, he clobbered the working poor so he could write checks to illegals,” said Senator Michael Testa (R-1).

“The non-partisan Office of Legislative Services in Trenton estimates the new tax scheduled to kick in on New Year’s Day will strip $40 million from the pockets of New Jersey workers, matching dollar-for-dollar the money the Governor plans to hand over to illegal immigrants,” Testa added.

Under the new program, illegal immigrants could receive one-time payments of $1,000 per individual or $2,000 for a household.

“It is the equivalent of giving a pay raise to people who don’t work for the company. Murphy is giving away millions of dollars that should be used to benefit the entire state,” said Testa.

The tax that will mean smaller paychecks for workers in the new year is just part of Murphy’s plan to utilize massive tax increases to stabilize the state’s Unemployment Insurance Fund drained by the pandemic and the Governor’s heavy-handed lockdowns.

“Murphy has been the criminals’ best friend and staunch advocate, so it is no surprise he is giving away money to those who broke the law to come here,” said Testa. “The hypocrisy is dizzying.”

In less than two weeks, employers in New Jersey will be battered with a potentially devastating $252 million tax increase.

Businesses and non-profits will face a 20 percent tax increase that will hit, appropriately, on Mischief Night, Oct. 30. Quarter million-dollar bump is the first in a series of increases over the next three years that will eventually exceed $1 billion annually.

“The Governor’s indefensible mandates bankrupted tens of thousands of businesses that closed their doors forever. This unnecessary tax is salt in the wounds for the thousands that struggled to survive only to be driven back to the breaking point,” said Testa.

“Murphy is still picking winners and losers. This time, his winners are in our country illegally, and the losers are the employers who provide jobs for our citizens and the New Jersey residents who will lose those jobs if businesses collapse under the weight of new taxes.”

Testa and the Senate Republicans urged the Governor to utilize federal relief money to stabilize unemployment and avoid the tax on employers.

Last month, the entire Republican caucuses of the Senate and Assembly called on Murphy to convene a special session of the Legislature to adopt solutions to prevent a payroll tax increase on employers, repay debt, and restore stability to the state’s Unemployment Insurance Fund.

“This is a travesty, watching the Governor ignore employers and hard-working citizens and instead placating his social justice allies,” noted Testa. “Murphy decided he wanted to tax employers when he didn’t need to. Now he is taxing employees, too, and giving the money away.”