Gas in New Jersey is about to get more expensive after lawmakers voted Friday to raise the tax by 23 cents per gallon to pay for the state's expired transportation trust fund.
If Republican Gov. Chris Christie approves the bill, which he is expected to, it would make New Jersey's gas tax the sixth-highest in the nation, up from 49th before. It would still remain lower than the gas tax in neighboring New York and Pennsylvania, though.
The measure would go into effect Nov. 1 or 15 days after Christie signs it, whichever is later.
The bill — raising the tax from 14.5 cents per gallon while cutting the sales and estate taxes — passed in the Democrat-led Assembly and Senate despite robust bipartisan opposition from lawmakers and many residents.
The transportation trust fund expired three months ago, and Christie ordered the shutdown of transportation projects. Christie had said he would only support a plan that represented "tax fairness," or cutting other taxes if the gas tax was going to increase.The measure decreases the sales tax from 7 percent to 6.875 percent by January and to 6.625 percent by July. It would phase out New Jersey's estate tax, changing the threshold from $675,000 to $2 million in 2017 and eliminating it completely in 2018.
