November 22, 2016
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he won’t nix the state’s reciprocal income tax deal with Pennsylvania after all, NJ.com reports.
Back in July, Christie first considered scrapping the four-decades-old deal, a decision that was met with outrage from South Jersey lawmakers who said it would hurt hardworking families.
Ending the deal would have meant a tax hike for the nearly 100,000 New Jersey residents from Camden, Gloucester and Burlington counties who cross into Pennsylvania for work. An estimated 20,000 Philadelphia residents work in New Jersey.
So why the change of heart?
According to NJ.com, Christie credited finding $200 million in savings in a public worker union-backed health care bill he signed into law on Monday, an action the governor said will save state taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in health care benefit costs and eliminate the need to pull out of the tax pact.
“This action will save state taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in health care benefit costs, and I’m proud my administration was again able to work with elected officials from both sides of the aisle and many labor union representatives to achieve these savings,” Christie said in a statement released Tuesday.
Read more at NJ.com.
