Senator Declan O’Scanlon said the governor showed his true colors when he suggested to business leaders at Rowan College that New Jersey may not be their state if they are concerned about tax rates.

“It’s outrageous that Gov. Murphy is telling families and employers they can ‘take it or leave it’ if they have a problem with New Jersey’s high taxes,” said O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth). “He should be working with the Republican caucus to make New Jersey more affordable. He should be listening to everyone who is telling him they can’t pay more and the many analysts and independent ratings agencies sounding the alarm that New Jersey is headed for disaster if we don’t get our fiscal house in order. Suggesting our highest earning – and the top-taxpaying – residents might be better off leaving is exactly the wrong message.”

In a report for KYW Newsradio, Murphy was quoted: “If you’re a one issue voter and tax rate is your issue … if that’s the only basis upon which you’re going to make a decision, we’re probably not your state.”

“If you don’t like it, get out? That’s no way to treat the employers who are providing jobs and benefits for New Jersey families,” said O’Scanlon. “Murphy is so obsessed with spending money on his leftist priorities that he is daring employers to load up the trucks and leave. That’s a dangerous message that may cost people their jobs.”

Last year, twice as many people moved out of the state than moved in. Once again, New Jersey lost more people than any other state as the population slumped to pre-2013 levels. And it’s high-net-worth and high earners – who already have houses in Florida – that have the lowest barriers to moving and have the most to gain by doing so.

New Jersey is ranked No. 5 in Kipplinger’s list of “The 10 Least Tax-Friendly States in the U.S.” The publication said the state “brings the hammer down” on residents when they buy a home with property taxes that are the highest in the nation. “The state-wide average property tax on a $400,000 home in New Jersey comes to a whopping $10,120,” the report said.