An article I saw on NJ.com Monday is interesting for three reasons.
The article, “N.J. residents actually say yes to a tax hike if it’s spent on this, new poll says” (subscriber exclusive) states that 54% of State residents (according to one poll) support the further extension of a “temporary” corporate tax surcharge to provide funding for NJ Transit.1
First, the article’s title (headline) is phrased to entice the reader to click on it to find out what spending is entitled to support for a tax hike. I have previously complained about titles that do “not adequately convey what the article is about but instead serves as a piece of “click-bait” to excite the reader’s curiosity to go to the article (thus generating ad revenue).”
Second, I have also previously posted about this particular “temporary” tax increase and the Star-Ledger’s desire to make it permanent.
Third, many of the Star Ledger’s unlabeled opinion pieces have reflected support for a dedicated funding source for NJ Transit. As a matter of policy, I oppose dedicated funding; every government agency should have to make the case for taxpayer money on a regular basis.2
Jay Bohn
October 26, 2023
- No doubt that support derives from the fact that someone else (large corporations) is seen as paying the tax but the people responding to the poll will benefit. As I’ve said before, the government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always count on the support of Paul. ↩︎
- (Indeed, I suspect that the whole purpose of the poll (and perhaps the article as well) was to claim that there is public support for NJ Transit funding; must have been disappointed that the support was only at 54%. ↩︎