Al Straccolini writes that no one is outraged about a big income tax hike for many New Jerseyans who work in Philadelphia.
To the Editor:
I completely agree with your Sept. 18 editorial, "Revisit options for N.J.-Pa. commuter tax pact," about New Jersey's withdrawal from a reciprocal income tax agreement between the states.
I've called and written to the governor's office several times and have received no response. I've spoken to State Sen. Fred Madden and Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, both D-Gloucester. They've vowed to help, but concede it's Gov. Chris Christie's right to void the agreement. I've also written to state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, with no reply.
I am shocked at the lack of outrage by local politicians and even South Jersey residents who will pay significantly more in income taxes. I work for the Navy at the base in Philadelphia. Approximately 1,000 employees in my command will now pay more.
Ironically, for my household, the overall income tax burden will go up -- but the increase will go to Pennsylvania. Currently, if you live in New Jersey and work in Philadelphia, you currently do no have state income tax taken out of your pay. When you file your New Jersey return each April, you might pay a minimal amount to New Jersey because we are afforded a credit for the Philadelphia city wage tax.
With the lapsed agreement, we'll have to pay the 3.07 percent flat state income tax charged by Pennsylvania. We would not pay a dime to New Jersey, since the credit for Philadelphia wage tax is still expected to be in effect. My wife is a New Jersey teacher, so the credits will likely wipe out the income taxes she owes, as well.
In the end, we'll pay much more, but New Jersey will get much less.
It's all just a bad idea to balance the budget on the backs of hard-working people who already have one of the highest tax burdens in the country.
Al Stracciolini
Washington Township
Tax gap to hit Jersey-to-Philly workers hardest
To the Editor:
Gov. Chris Christie's decision to end New Jersey's tax reciprocity income-tax agreement with Pennsylvania will place a far bigger tax burden on many South Jersey commuters who work in Pennsylvania than has commonly been reported.
Where one works in Pennsylvania makes a huge difference in how taxes will change with the agreement's expiration. (The pact based the amount of tax due on the rates in effect in the state where one lives. Pennsylvania has a flat 3.07 percent tax, while New Jersey's rates are graduated at between 1.4 percent and 8.97 percent, depending on income level.)
It has been stated that, with the reciprocal agreement lapsed, the break-even point (no change in tax liability) for a New Jersey resident who works in Pennsylvania is about $120,000. That may be true if the individual doesn't work in the City of Philadelphia. But commuters to the city are also charged a city wage tax for which New Jersey residents receive a credit. In the case of a $120,000 annual salary, the change could produce an additional tax liability of more than $3,000.
Roughly two-thirds of the 120,000 South Jersey residents who commute to Pennsylvania for work have jobs in Philadelphia. About 80,000 New Jersey residents are about to get hit with an obscene tax increase -- and most have no idea that it is happening.
Marcus John
Gloucester Township
Clinton scandals make her unfit
To the Editor:
"What difference, at this point, what difference does it make?"
Remember when Hillary Clinton spoke those words at a 2013 congressional hearing, answering a question about causes of the 2012 attack that resulted in the deaths of four American diplomats in Benghazi, Libya?
Well, time has passed, and we see just how big a liar Clinton is.
Anyone even vaguely following the news must come to no other conclusion.
Your sister publication, the Star-Ledger of Newark, endorsed Clinton months ago, before the New Jersey primary. At this time, is there a difference in your political stance?
There have been 35 years of Clinton scandals. The latest one raises questions about favors that the State Department might have done for donors to the Clinton Global Initiative foundation,while Mrs. Clinton was secretary of state.
We may not agree about many things that Donald Trump has said and the way he's said them. But, he is not a well-practiced politician with rehearsed answers. That is how Mrs. Clinton replies in many cases to a media that asks her soft questions.
Political correctness and progressivism are just tyranny by another name. Silence equals consent!
Barbara Doherty
Franklinville
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