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Politics & Government

Gov. Christie Outlines Plan for Fiscal Discipline

NJ Governor addressed a packed crowd at Princeton University on Friday.

Money doesn't grow on trees and that's why Gov. Chris Christie has capped New Jersey property taxes, cut public sector jobs and rejected the so-called “millionaire’s tax,” the governor told a packed crowd at Princeton University on Friday.

Christie, the state’s 55th governor who was inaugurated in January 2010, outlined his plan for fiscal discipline.

“When we approached the budget in 2011, we made a decision that because the people in New Jersey are the highest-taxed citizens in America, that taxes are high enough and we are not going to put up with any further tax increases," Christie told a crowd of students, residents and businesspeople.

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Previous administrations were willing to fund almost any special interest group that requested a handout, Christie said.

As a result of that open-wallet policy, New Jersey residents fled the state for those with lower taxes including Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

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“We don’t have a money tree, yet the politicians of New Jersey have treated our citizens like the money tree," Christie said.

The governor’s initiatives have included eliminating the “millionaires tax” for individuals and small businesses earning over $400,000 a year. Half of those subjected to this tax last year were small businesses, Christie said.

The governor has also cut funding to public sector jobs, forcing the private sector to replace those jobs and helping to grow the economy.

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