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August 26, 2021
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 Inside this issue
  Executive Directors Message  
 

NJ GAS TAX TO DECREASE BY 8 CENTS

TOWN DROPS TOWING COMPANY DUE TO UNPROFESSIONALISM

BIDEN CALLS FOR BUSINESSES TO MANDATE VACCINATIONS

NJ LOTTERY SEES RECORD HIGH YEAR

JOIN US AT SEMA/APPEX IN LAS VEGAS

 

GAS TAX

The governor's office made the announcement Tuesday that they would officially be lowering the gas tax by 8.3 cents, though if you have been reading our Road Warrior newsletters, you know this is not a total surprise to us. Last week I made a prediction that there would not be an increase because it's an election year. Even this time last year I predicted that they had over-taxed us (the tax went up last year by 9 cents) in order to eliminate any tax increase this year due to the election. Increases always happen on Oct 1st which is five weeks before the election. Next year, the governor and legislature won't be up for reelection. My prediction is they will take this all back next year. Just like I predicted last year they taxed too much, I predict they will take it back next year. This current decrease should be helpful to make us more competitive with our neighboring states. Since NJ experienced a loss of gallons to NY and Delaware, the taxes that came with those gallons have also been lost. I was also recently quoted in an article on NJ.com on this which you can read HERE. I was also interviewed on NJ Spotlight news on Wednesday night, which you can watch by clicking HERE, or you can also check out the news section below for additional articles that quoted me on this.

 

TOWING COMPANY DROPPED

We recently read news that the town of Parsippany-Troy Hills would be terminating their contract with one of their contracted towing companies after a worker used racial slurs against a customer. This is a perfect example of how one bad apple can give a bad reputation to an entire industry. Unscrupulous towing companies are what caused the legislature to pass the Predatory Towing Act 12 years ago. Over the years unethical repair shops have blackened the eye of honest repair shops for decades. It is still my vision to create a society of auto repair shops that operate with absolute excellence and professionalism and will judge on a professional basis their peers in the auto repair business in order to permit them to belong to the society. I still envision forming a group within NJGCA called the Society of Auto Repair Professionals and only the best and most professional will be invited to participate. 

 

COVID VACCINES

We continue to bring you news on COVID protocols and mandates as changes are happening quickly due to rising numbers of the Delta variant across the country. This week, the FDA announced its approval of the Pfizer vaccine for people sixteen and over. Shortly after as a result, President Biden made an announcement urging businesses and public leaders to implement vaccine mandates. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are on their way to becoming federally approved as well. Shortly after the announcement was made, the NJ Chamber of Commerce released a statement mandating vaccines for its employees. I want to again remind our members that you are permitted to require employees be vaccinated as a condition for their continued employment. You should continue to require employees to wear masks around customers and in areas with other employees, though again, these decisions are up to you as the employer. I hope we can all do our part to do what we can to again decrease these rising numbers and protect each other from this virus. 

 

LOTTERY

The New Jersey Lottery Commission held its July Commission meeting recently and found that for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2021, there was a record $3.68 billion in sales; the highest in Lottery history and 14.6% higher than Fiscal Year 2020. This is obviously a result of people being home because of COVID. It will be nice if this resulted in habitual lottery purchasers. Whenever a customer enters your store to purchase a lottery ticket, they are also more likely to pick up a coffee or snacks while they are there. I hope that those of you with convenience stores can report that you have seen a benefit from last year's record lottery sales. 

 

SHOP OWNERS JOIN US AT SEMA/APPEX

We are hoping to gather NJGCA shop owners by inviting our auto repair members to SEMA/APPEX in November. This conference is vital in order to build on the professionalism that is required to run a shop today. It is beneficial for colleagues to be together, learn together, and have fun together. We are building all of those things into what is known as industry week in Las Vegas or the SEMA/APPEX shows. I'm sure many of you not only have heard of these two shows but may have already attended in previous years. We want NJGCA members to attend together and even bring your spouse! We recently included details on a group trip we are organizing to Red Rock Canyon, 7 Magic Mountains, Boulder City & Hoover Dam a day before the conference officially kicks off in order to build collegiality amongst our members. If you are interested in more information on the conference and any other events we are organizing that week, please contact Joe Ocello at joe@njgca.org. See the announcement we emailed to members yesterday and register HERE.

 

Be Well -  

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director
 


 

 

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  Training Class Schedule  
 

All classes held at NJGCA HQ -- 4900 Route 33 West, Wall Township, NJ 07753


Contact Nick De Palma at Nick@njgca.org to inquire about potential trainings and class dates

 

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  News Around The State  
 

 

8/25/21

U.S. Funds for EV Charging to Focus on Largest States

The $1 trillion infrastructure bill has $7.5 billion earmarked for EV charging-a sharp decrease from the original $15 billion-and it will likely end up being closer to $5 billion for building the actual electric charging network, Autoweek reports. Yesterday, the House narrowly advanced a $3.5 trillion budget framework that paves the way for a late-September vote on the Senate-passed bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill, the Wall Street Journal reports.

 

8/24/21

NJ Gas Tax Will Change Starting In October As Result Of Economic Recovery

Sal Risalvato, executive director of the New Jersey Gasoline-ConvenienceAutomotive Association, said he didn't expect an increase because it was hiked last year more than was necessary. "Any time we lower any tax, it's a good thing," Risalvato said. "We predicted something similar to this last year when they increased it more than 9 cents. We thought then that they increased it way too much based on our analysis of revenues, and we predicted then that that was done in order to keep from having an increase this year in an election year. I will say that I am surprised that there was not just a reduction but this much of a reduction."  

 

8/23/21

Murphy Orders Vaccination Requirement For All N.J. State Workers, Including At Public Colleges

All New Jersey state workers will be required to be vaccinated for the coronavirus or undergo regular testing, Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Monday. . .It affects all state workers, Murphy said, including "those at all state agencies, authorities, and public colleges and universities - whether they be full- or part-time, or contract employees."


8/20/21

Millions Of Electric Car Batteries Will Retire In The Next Decade. What Happens To Them?

A tsunami of electric vehicles is expected in rich countries, as car companies and governments pledge to ramp up their numbers - there are predicted to be 145m on the roads by 2030. But while electric vehicles can play an important role in reducing emissions, they also contain a potential environmental timebomb: their batteries. By one estimate, more than 12m tons of lithium-ion batteries are expected to retire between now and 2030. Not only do these batteries require large amounts of raw materials, including lithium, nickel and cobalt - mining for which has climate, environmental and human rights impacts - they also threaten to leave a mountain of electronic waste as they reach the end of their lives.

 

8/19/21

Disruption to Coin Supply Has Retailers Asking for Change

Finding enough coins to make change for customers was a common challenge during the early days of pandemic in 2020, and now, some retailers are once again reporting that coins are scarce. In June 2020, the U.S. Mint resumed operating at full capacity to boost the availability of coins, and the Federal Reserve placed a temporary cap on the coin orders placed by depository institutions to ensure the supply was fairly distributed. However, with coin supply still below pre-pandemic levels, the Fed reinstated those caps in May. "Where we're located, our local bank is out of change completely," said Bill Decker, general manager of Davis Travel Center in Stony Creek, Virginia. "They have no idea when the shortage of coins will end. They're frustrated, [as are] the [businesses] they serve."

 

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  Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices  
 

Each week, the Energy Information Administration publishes a list of average gasoline prices for the previous three weeks. NJGCA will begin including this list with the Weekly Road Warrior. Remember, these prices are reflective of self-serve everywhere except NJ.
 

 

 

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  Member Benefit Partner Message Board  
 

    

 

 

 

 

 

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  Classifieds: For Sale and Help Wanted Ads  
 


Parts For Sale: Incon TS-1000 tank monitor works well just taken out of service. Printer is aprox 2 months old. Also, Incon 8, tank probes. System replaced because on an Exxon upgrade. Call John Twin Towers Exxon (201) 224-8444

 



 

 

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