New Jersey Policy Perspective produces independent research and analysis on policy solutions to advance social, economic, and racial justice. From data-driven reports to policy briefs and explainers, we work to provide lawmakers, legislative staff, advocates, community leaders, and reporters with the facts and figures behind the most pressing policy issues facing the Garden State.

Explainer

In Every County, Very Few New Jerseyans Owe Estate Tax

May 25, 2016 • Sheila Reynertson • Tax and Budget
In 20 of 21 New Jersey counties, fewer than 400 estates are large enough to owe the New Jersey estate tax in any given year.
Blog

Latest BEIP Proposal is Proof New Jersey’s Surge in Corporate Tax Subsidies is Unaffordable

May 19, 2016 • Jon Whiten • Tax and Budget
If policymakers want to offer such lucrative tax breaks to corporations, they should make the hard choices and find the money to pay for them – not merely push the costs off to future policymakers.
Blog

No, New Jersey’s Poorest Aren’t Offered a ‘Very Large’ Package of Benefits

May 18, 2016 • Raymond Castro • Economic Justice
The Department of Human Services Commissioner says families in WorkFirst NJ are offered a ”very large” package of benefits from other programs. But that's just not the case.
Blog

A $15 Minimum Wage is Good Policy for New Jersey’s Working People & its Economy

May 16, 2016 • Brandon McKoy • Economic Justice
The fact that full-time work isn’t enough to lift a New Jerseyan out of poverty should be enough to convince everyone to raise the minimum wage.
Blog

Corporate Subsidies Keep Flowing as New Estimates Confirm They’re Creating a Growing Long-Term Budget Hole

May 13, 2016 • Jon Whiten • Tax and Budget
This surge in subsidies is creating a long-term and growing economic drag that policymakers will have to grapple with for at least the next 15 years as the backlog of tax credits is paid out.
Blog

New National Report Underscores Why New Jersey Needs to Preserve its Estate Tax

May 11, 2016 • Sheila Reynertson • Tax and Budget
Policymakers who are concerned about record levels of inequality and making sound investments that benefit all New Jerseyans should take this report to heart, and preserve the estate tax.
Blog

Increasing the EITC to 40 Percent Would Boost Working Families & Create True ‘Tax Fairness’

May 10, 2016 • Gordon MacInnes • Economic Justice, Tax and Budget
If you want tax fairness, the EITC is the most efficient and effective way to help fix a tax structure that is out of balance.
Blog

Raising the Minimum Wage Would Be a Great Mother’s Day Gift

May 8, 2016 • Amy Dunford • Economic Justice
Stagnant wages have combined with rising costs for housing and other necessities to force more mothers into low-wage work simply to make sure their families have food on the table, a roof over their heads and clothes on their backs.
Report

Earned Sick Leave for All Would Help New Jersey’s Workers & Boost its Economy

April 27, 2016 • Brandon McKoy • Economic Justice
Earned sick days don’t only benefit working people; they help employers too. By investing in their workers, business owners reap the benefits of a more productive workforce and with lower employee turnover that is both expensive and disruptive.
Blog

Tax Breaks or Bust: New Jersey’s Misguided Approach to Economic Development in Camden

April 26, 2016 • Jon Whiten • Economic Justice, Tax and Budget
There are no guarantees that this strategy will actually work to significantly boost Camden's economy or help its residents.
Blog

Price Hikes Weren’t on the Menu After Seattle Passed $15 Minimum Wage Law

April 21, 2016 • Brandon McKoy • Economic Justice
A newly released study by the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance found “little or no evidence of price increases in Seattle relative to the surrounding area.”
Blog

Reality Check: David Tepper’s Move Will Hardly ‘Destroy’ New Jersey’s Budget

April 13, 2016 • Jon Whiten • Tax and Budget
The modest but important impact that Tepper’s move will have on New Jersey’s budget is being used by opponents of a common sense tax structure as an example of why the state should move away from taxes being based largely on the ability to pay.
Blog

Join Us: Immigration Policy Briefing, April 25 in Trenton

April 12, 2016 • Carly Rothman Siditsky
Denying drivers' licenses to undocumented residents makes everyone less safe. Other states have faced the facts on this issue, while New Jersey lags behind. We invite you to join our own experts and a panel of distinguished guests for a special briefing on on this road safety and social justice issue - and the prospects for progress in New Jersey. 
Report

Raising New Jersey’s Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour Would Boost a Large and Diverse Group of Working Men and Women

March 23, 2016 • Jon Whiten • Economic Justice
Increasing New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2021 would directly boost the pay of about 1 in 4 Garden State workers, or 975,000 men and women.
Video

NJPP’s Brandon McKoy Discusses the Need to Boost the EITC

March 22, 2016 • NJPP Staff
Increasing New Jersey’s Earned Income Tax Credit could boost the incomes of nearly 600,000 working families in the state who aren’t paid enough to get by.
Explainer

Closing Digital Divide Could Promote Economic Opportunity in New Jersey

March 22, 2016 • Jon Whiten • Economic Justice
Nearly 300,000 New Jerseyans are estimated to lack access to broadband service, particularly in rural parts of the state, hampering their ability to fully participate in the state’s economy.
Blog

NJPP’s Ray Castro Lands On ‘Power 50’ Health Care List

March 21, 2016 • NJPP Staff
Congratulations to New Jersey Policy Perspective's senior policy analyst Ray Castro, who landed on this year's "Power 50 Health Care" list compiled by NJ Biz
Blog

New Jersey Has Lost its Wealthiest Resident But That Doesn’t Change the Facts About Wealth and Taxes

March 17, 2016 • Jon Whiten • Tax and Budget
While New Jersey may lose some wealthy residents in any given year, such as Mr. Tepper, the so-called “exodus” of wealth is a manufactured crisis.
Testimony

Reject Estate Tax Repeal & Boost Assistance for Poor Families

March 15, 2016 • Raymond Castro • Tax and Budget
A tax cut that benefits just the wealthy few is glaringly out of step with budget priorities of New Jersey, will make it harder to restore earlier funding cuts and will make it nearly impossible to do much to tackle some of the state’s other big problems, like growing poverty.
Blog

Increasing New Jersey’s EITC to 40 Percent Would Make Tax Structure More Equitable

March 9, 2016 • Jon Whiten • Tax and Budget
If policymakers increase the EITC to 40 percent, New Jersey's poorest households would still pay the largest share of their incomes towards taxes, but not by nearly as much.
Video

Major Concerns Remain About Casino Expansion Push

March 8, 2016 • NJPP Staff
A key Assembly committee held a public hearing yesterday on the proposal to expand casino gambling in New Jersey, and as NJTV News reports, critics like NJPP president Gordon MacInnes were on hand to raise concerns about the plan - including the potential damage two new casinos could inflict on South Jersey's economy.
Testimony

Want ‘Tax Fairness’? Boost the Earned Income Tax Credit

March 7, 2016 • Brandon McKoy • Economic Justice, Tax and Budget
Unlike some of the other high-profile tax proposals being discussed right now by the legislature, boosting the EITC truly represents “tax fairness.”
Testimony

Increasing TANF Assistance to New Jersey Families is Long Overdue

March 7, 2016 • Raymond Castro • Economic Justice
The TANF cash benefit, which is $424 a month for a family of three, has not been increased in 29 years. Ronald Reagan was still president, and the Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian” was the top hit of the day.
Testimony

Repealing TANF’s ‘Family Cap’ Makes Moral and Economic Sense

March 7, 2016 • Raymond Castro • Economic Justice
Recent national research has shown that these caps do not affect parental choices as intended but instead penalize the babies, who are denied cash assistance, and the families, which are driven deeper into poverty.
Blog

More Riders, Less Investment: A Blueprint for Failure on Public Transit in New Jersey

March 4, 2016 • Jon Whiten
Despite transit’s clear benefit to New Jersey, the state has systematically shirked its responsibility to invest the dollars necessary to create a world-class public transit system that is reliable and affordable.

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