The New Jersey Business & Industry Association, which represents approximately 8,000 small and midsize companies throughout the state, challenged the policies of Gov. Phil Murphy in no uncertain terms by launching a “Do Better for Business” campaign Wednesday.
The campaign is in response to the governor’s proposed budget, one that seemingly did an about-face on taxes when he proposed a permanent Corporate Transit Fee to essentially replace a temporary Corporate Business Tax surcharge that had just sunset.
NJBIA officials said the campaign (which includes a website) is aimed at holding the administration — and the Legislature — accountable for their actions and to bring more concise visibility to anti-business policies that require change.
The launch included three short videos:
- Episode 1: ‘Tax Relief’ in the Form of Tax Increases?
- Episode 2: Fostering an Anti-Business Culture in NJ Through Mistrust
- Episode 3: How the Little Pieces Impact the Big Picture for NJ Businesses
More are planned, NJBIA officials said.
NJBIA CEO Michele Siekerka said the businesses she represents have had enough.
“While the bad form of Gov. Murphy’s sudden and costly reversal on taxing New Jersey’s largest job providers is the latest impetus for this effort, it is sadly not the only one,” she said.
“The governor and certain lawmakers often talk about their support of New Jersey businesses, but, unfortunately, their actions don’t follow their words, or their words don’t tell the full story. Frankly, we don’t believe they prioritize the importance of our job creators nearly enough, which is why New Jersey has the business reputation that it does.
“At the same time, we know there is great support and genuine appreciation of our businesses, small and large, amongst the public. So, the goal of this campaign is to bring them more public support and greater awareness to our business challenges, in a more palatable form, to effect meaningful change.”
On a regular basis throughout the fiscal year 2025 budget season, NJBIA will release other short-form, explainer videos and factoids on social media to show where policymakers are harming New Jersey businesses, or not providing full context for what they deem as business successes, NJBIA officials said.
Additionally, NJBIA will be providing comments from business owners about their unfiltered feelings about New Jersey’s business climate under current state leadership.
“These are the boots on the ground, from New Jersey companies of all sizes, who have to deal directly with the costliest taxes and regulatory burdens in the nation,” Siekerka said. “Our policymakers need to be held to account for the burdens being placed on them on an all-too-regular basis.”
“We look forward to bringing more awareness to the plight of New Jersey businesses and encourage our news media to shine a spotlight on their challenges, and the policies that impact them the most.”
The videos can be found on NJBIA’s YouTube page.
