Opinion

It’s back to tax-and-spend for the Garden State

How appropriate that former Govs. Jim Florio and Jim McGreevey were on hand as another New Jersey Democrat, Phil Murphy, presented his first budget last week.

Because, like those predecessors (as well as the absent Jon Corzine), Murphy unveiled a plan that hikes government spending and taxes in ways that left veteran Trenton legislators stunned.

Murphy called for $1.6 billion in new or increased taxes and $2.7 billion in new spending, a 4.2 percent jump in outlays. But it’s all OK, says Murphy, because it represents “investment” — with taxpayers’ money.

“I don’t think anyone could have anticipated this level of tax increases,” said the clearly shocked Senate minority leader, Tom Kean Jr.

Murphy made no bones about it, either: “We’re digging out of an eight-year narrative that was all about gutting government spending.”

In other words, the days of at least some fiscal responsibility under Republican Chris Christie are over. Now it’s time for Garden Staters to empty their wallets.

Indeed, Murphy proposed a host of new social programs without giving any hint of how he plans to pay for them all.

In the process, he wants to hike the state sales tax back to where it was before Christie cut it to partly compensate for raising the gasoline tax.

And he wants to impose new taxes on — well, basically everything: online sales, Uber and Lyft rides — even recreational marijuana, which he plans to legalize.

And, of course, Murphy wants a so-called millionaire’s tax. But Senate President Steve Sweeney, a fellow Democrat, is opposed, even though he was its biggest advocate under Christie.

The problem: Jersey’s crippling state and property taxes are no longer fully deductible under federal tax reform. Sweeney (unlike Murphy) recognizes that this means that new tax hikes — and the resulting fears of even more to come — would send wealthy taxpayers fleeing the state.

And that’s a potential budget-buster, since the gross income tax is the state’s largest source of revenue and leaves it especially dependent on high earners.

So now it’s up to Jersey’s Legislature to administer a much-needed reality-check slap in the face.

If not, Murphy should consider this: New Jersey hasn’t had a two-term Democratic governor since Brendan Byrne. And he left office in 1982.