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In contrast, if Congress passed President Obama’s plan to extend the Bush tax cuts on the first $250,000 in household income, the average tax cut for New Jersey taxpayers who make more than that amount would be about $12,000, less than half of what they would get under the GOP plan.  And the 22 percent of New Jersey taxpayers with income up to $25,000 would get larger average tax cuts under the Obama plan than under the Republican plan. 

Those are among the key findings of a new report released today by New Jersey Citizen Action, “Time to Pay Their Fair Share: New Jersey Residents Can’t Afford to Extend the Bush-era Tax Cuts for the Wealthy Few.” The report is authored byAmericans for Tax Fairness, Citizens for Tax Justice and the National Women’s Law Center. 

The report is timely because this week the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the Republican plan to extend all the Bush tax cuts, including for the richest 2 percent of U.S. households, while ending improvements in tax credits for low-end and moderate-income families.  The Democrats will offer an alternative plan similar to President Obama’s, which the U.S. Senate passed last week by a 51 to 48 vote.

“Giving lavish tax breaks for those who need them the least is exactly the kind of special-interest giveaways Washington needs to stop,” said Ann Vardeman, Organizer at NJ Citizen Action, a member of the Americans for Tax Fairness campaign. “We urge the House to end the Bush-era tax cuts to the richest 2 percent.”

Major findings of the report include:

• 95 out of 100 New Jersey residents would get about the same tax cut under the Obama plan as they have up until now.
• 5 percent of New Jersey taxpayers have an average income of about $669,000.
• The other 95 percent of the state’s taxpayers make about $67,000 on average.
• The average tax cut for those making between $50,000 and $100,000 would be roughly the same under both the Obama and GOP plans: about $1,370 and $1,360, respectively.
• New Jersey taxpayers making less than $25,000 a year would get an average tax cut from the Obama plan that is nearly double that from the Republican plan: $310 from Obama, compared to $160 from the GOP, because the GOP plan would end improvements in the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit for lower-income working families while the Obama plan would extend them.

The additional tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent in the Republican plan will cost approximately $68 billion next year alone.  That’s equal to what the federal government spends to repair highways, improve education and provide school breakfasts for low-income children, ensure clean drinking water, and deliver meals at home to frail seniors.  The report breaks down what New Jersey’s share of these funds means for its residents:

• Highway Planning and Construction: New Jersey will receive $914.5 million in federal funds in FY 2012 to help it plan, build, and repair highways and bridges and support other transportation improvements. These investments in infrastructure help all New Jersey residents travel more safely and efficiently and promote economic growth and job creation. 

• Title 1 funding to support K-12 education: New Jersey will receive $301.8 million in federal funds in FY 2012 for grants to local school districts serving disadvantaged children. In the 2009-2010 school year, 1,430 New Jersey schools serving nearly 761,000 children were eligible for this funding.

• Head Start and Early Head Start preschool programs: New Jersey will receive $150.1 million in federal funds in FY 2012 for Head Start, which helps preschool-age children in low-income families build the skills they need to succeed in school. Head Start and Early Head Start preschool programs served 14,848 children in low-income New Jersey families in 2009.

• School Breakfast Program:  New Jersey will receive $54.3 million in federal funds in FY 2012 for the school breakfast program, which provides free or reduced price breakfasts to children from low- and moderate-income families. A nutritious breakfast improves children’s health and helps them start the day ready to learn. In 2011, the program served an average of 189,700 New Jersey children each day.

• Make Drinking Water Safer: New Jersey will receive $77 million in federal funds in FY 2012 to construct water treatment facilities and ensure clean drinking water.

• Provide Meals to Homebound Seniors: New Jersey will receive $6 million in federal funds in FY 2012 to provide home-delivered meals to frail seniors. About 31,341 New Jersey residents received meals through this program in 2010.

“We can’t afford to keep giving tax cuts to the richest,” said Ann Vardeman of NJ Citizen Action.  “We can’t balance the budget on the backs of children, seniors, and families struggling to make ends meet.  Those who have done well in America should do well by America and pay their fair share.”