Gov. Murphy, legislative leaders agree on 2.5% tax on corporations to fund NJ Transit
NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- New Jersey has a tentative agreement with the state's most profitable companies to temporarily pay higher taxes to fund NJ Transit.
Under the plan, the 600 corporations in the state that make at least $10 million a year in profits will pay a 2.5% tax on all earnings for five years.
In return, the state will not pursue restoring the sales tax to 7% from to 6.625%, a major point of contention for the businesses, who strongly oppose increasing the corporate tax rate.
Both the "transit tax" and a final state budget still need to be approved by the Legislature next week. The budget expires June 30.
The potential deal comes amid a "nightmare" week for NJ Transit and Amtrak, which saw a string of service disruptions adversely impact rail commuters.
NJ Transit and CEO Kevin Corbett released the following statement Friday afternoon, and called the issues "unacceptable."
"We are as frustrated as our customers, and the frequency and impact these issues are having on our customers' quality of life is clearly unacceptable. Regarding today's incident specifically, we've had rail maintenance supervisors positioned at Newark Penn Station to inspect trains in light of the recent incidents. The train involved was inspected thoroughly before leaving Newark, including the pantograph, and no defects were found," Corbett said.
Corbett went on to say that they are working with Amtrak to identify root causes of the recent spate of incidents.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
