Democrats in the New Jersey Assembly are deflecting criticism that Gov. Jon S. Corzine's recession-year budget proposal slams middle-class taxpayers.
Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr. and others said Thursday that the Democratic governor's election-year budget includes a funding increase for education, preserves property tax rebates for the neediest residents and only slightly cuts aid to towns.
Corzine proposed a $29.8 billion budget Tuesday, and by Wednesday was being criticized for taking too big a slice from the middle-class.
The budget would eliminate rebates for those earning more than $75,000 a year, and ends the property tax deduction for state income tax filers next year.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
