Gov. Chris Christie has given New Jersey Transit rail commuters one more reason to be thankful he has less than one month remaining to do further damage to their already burdensome commutes.
In a backroom deal negotiated with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, it was agreed that New Jersey Transit rail commuters will pay $1.9 billion to help fund the much needed new Gateway tunnel.
Starting in 2020, each commuter will pay an additional 90 cents a ride and the amount goes up to $1.70 in 2028 and $2.20 in 2038. It is unconscionable that New Jersey Gov.-elect Phil Murphy was not consulted on this regressive commuter tax.
Gov.-elect Murphy, who has proposed meaningful programs to reform New Jersey Transit, has pledged to do what he can to remedy this unfair commuter tax.
Surely there are other less regressive means of financing New Jersey’s share of the Gateway project, such as the sale of air rights above state-owned properties and selling naming rights at train stations to corporate sponsors.
Robert R. Salman
Marlboro
