Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday signed a bill extending New Jersey’s fiscal year through September and granting taxpayers a three-month extension to pay and file their state taxes.

The IRS extended the tax deadline to July 15 last month in response to the coronavirus crisis, putting pressure on the state to follow suit.

Shortly after the state Legislature passed the bill (S2338) Monday, Murphy announced his plans to sign it, saying "As we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that we give both the state and our residents every opportunity to endure financially.

“Pushing this deadline into the summer will give us additional time to combat the virus and get as many taxpayers as possible back on sound financial footing.”

The state’s indecision and delay in matching the IRS’s timetable was a source of frustration for the state’s tax preparers and accountants, and the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants says the state still should have gone further in deferring more tax obligations.

“It is impractical, if not impossible, for taxpayers and their advisers to operate under different sets of deadlines for federal and state filings, and no one’s life should be risked to meet tax filing obligations,” Ralph Albert Thomas, executive director of the NJCPA, said in a statement Monday. “Taxpayers and their advisers need clarity and consistency."

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The new July 15 filing and payment due date applies to business and personal income taxes, including quarterly estimated taxes due April 15.

The same law extends the state’s budget year, which would otherwise end June 30, through September, buying state officials more time to analyze the impact of the coronavirus and stay-at-home orders on tax collections and to rewrite the budget for the next fiscal year.

Murphy revealed his proposed budget in February, calling for increased taxes on millionaires, cigarettes, opioid manufacturers and businesses whose employees wind up on Medicaid. He planned record funding for public schools and public employee pensions.

But the state’s financial outlook is much changed since that Feb. 25 address.

Under the new law, Murphy must update the Legislature on his budget forecast by May 22 and present a new budget proposal by Aug. 25.