New Jersey voters are rarely fans of tax increases, but there is a high amount of support for boosting taxes on online gambling and wealthy individuals, according to a Stockton University poll.
About 58% of those polled said they would support raising taxes on online gambling, while 55% said they would back raising taxes on wealthy individuals, the poll found.
The university’s poll also found 85% of New Jersey voters have not gambled online with a betting app, sportsbook or a casino in the past year.
“Online gambling rates are still pretty low among voters at-large, so that helps shed some light on why that’s a tax hike they’re largely fine with,” said head researcher Alyssa Maurice.
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The Stockton poll asked voters about several proposals to balance New Jersey’s budget, including new taxes and possible program cuts. The state budget is currently under negotiation in Trenton. It is expected to be voted on and signed by Gov. Phil Murphy by end of June.
Murphy unveiled a proposed $55.9 billion state budget in February that calls for several new taxes, as well as continued money for several property tax relief programs, another payment for public-worker pensions, and additional school funding.
The Stockton poll found voters were mixed on whether to support new state taxes for alcohol, cigarettes, corporations and real estate transactions.
Just below 49% of those polled supported raising taxes on alcohol and cigarettes. Raising taxes on corporations polled at 48%. Taxing real estate transactions over $1 million was slightly less popular at 43%.
Proposals to cut state spending were less popular. Only 26% said they supported cutting spending on property tax relief. Only 25% wanted to cut benefits and future pay raises for government employees.
Among the least popular proposals were new state taxes on activities like laser tag and bowling, which polled at 11%. Just 5% wanted to cut health programs and Medicaid.
While everything in the state budget is up for negotiation until the final ink is dry in June, the recreational taxes were among the first tax proposals made by the Murphy administration to be outright rejected by legislators on both sides of the aisle.
Cuts to funding for healthcare programs, including Medicaid, remain a concern after the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans proposed hundreds of millions in cuts to the state.
“In an election year, especially, it’s important to understand where the voters stand on some of the top issues in New Jersey,” Maurice said. “This gives policymakers a blueprint.
The poll took place from April 10 to April 14. It included 667 New Jersey voters and has a 3.8% margin of error.
Stories by Jelani Gibson
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Jelani Gibson may be reached at jgibson@njadvancemedia.com.