Along with the turn of the calendar page, come a whole list of new laws in New Jersey.
Here is a brief roundup of what goes into effect beginning this year in the state.
New Minimum Wage:
The state’s minimum wage increased by $0.36 to $15.49 per hour for most employees today, a sharp increase from the $8.85 an hour it was when Governor Phil Murphy first took office in 2018. A law he signed in 2019 increased the wage by at least $1 a year until it hit $15 an hour in 2024.
The increase leaves New Jersey with the sixth-highest statewide minimum wage in the nation.
New Driver Requirements:
New drivers under the age of 21 who are looking to obtain special learner’s permits and examination permits will now have to complete at least 50 hours of practice driving, with at least 10 of those hours to be completed during nighttime hours, under a bill signed into law nearly a year ago.
Salary and Benefit Transparency:
This law, which won’t take effect until June, requires businesses with 10 or more employees to advertise the salary range and benefits when listing a new job.
An “employer” is defined as “any person, company, corporation, firm, labor organization, or association which has 10 or more employees over 20 calendar weeks and does business, employs persons, or takes applications for employment within this state.”
Higher Gas Tax Takes Effect:
Beginning today, state’s gas tax rate will increase by 2.6 cents per gallon as a result of the new law signed earlier this year which gradually raises the State’s Highway Fuel Cap from Fiscal Year 2025 through Fiscal Year 2029.
Today’s increase will bring the per-gallon tax from 31.8 cents to 34.4 cents for gasoline and from 35.8 cents to 38.4 cents for diesel fuel. When combined with the Motor Fuels Tax, which is fixed at 10.5 cents for gasoline and 13.5 cents for diesel fuel, the total tax rates that motorists will pay for gasoline and diesel fuel will be 44.9 cents and 51.9 cents, respectively.
Toll Hikes:
In addition to the gas tax increase, motorists will be paying more on virtually every state highway in the state this, as tolls will be increasing on the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike, as well as by all Port Authority bridges and tunnels.
Infrastructure is expensive. Our highways and bridges are in terrible shape and will need to be maintained or replaced soon. Taxing users at point of service is the best way to fund these projects.
Why are they in terrible shape if we paid so much in taxes until now? The government wastes most of the taxes collected instead of using it correctly.
NJ has the highest cost per mile of road construction, cut the costs.
hopefully New Jersey Democratic party will adopt a strict policy of “truth to constituents” and fulfill their campaign promises of adressing the unfair distribution of the burden of education which is currently pulling out of both pockets with many Jerseyans paying private because of social and demographic considerations and then paying way too high property taxes for other people’s children to attend public school.
then the Democrats felt hard pressed for votes and they jumped on this popular item yellin’ and screamin’ “don’t vote Republican, just let us get in and we will have a fix up and runnin’ before the midterm”.
and then they got to Trenton, got comfortable with the photo-ops, and forgot that regular people voted them in to correct a fiscal injustice, carried out by the very government that they are sitting inside of, all while the Democrats are smiling in front of every camera and mic.
hopefully this year they will wake up and remember, sit down and work out a fair and honest solution, before the midterm comes around.
Only a portion of our property taxes go to public schools as noted on our tax bill.. It costs about $1200 per child for bussing, so for 5 children that’s $6000. If own a home with a basement apartment that’s $12000. If you have a child that attends SCHI, they charge Lakewood Board of Ed about $100,000 per child. There are other smaller expenses , such as nurses that are provided to the private school by the town
I just learned nc has a tax on everything you own and you have to file. Surprised NJ hasnt imposed a “toy” tax …. Not in favor of one but the state arbitrarily allots funds and adds unfunded mandates that increase taxes. A lot of how Trenton does things just makes no sense.
So all of this is going to cost NJ residence more money in 2025. Typical of NJ Governor Government. Way to go NJ.