After months of insisting that he would not allow New Jersey’s 2.5% corporate business tax surtax to be extended – and previously having allowed it to lapse for tax years beginning on January 1, 2024 – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is now proposing that the surtax be revived for companies earning profits that exceed $10 million a year (up from the prior threshold of $1 million). The proposal appears to apply retroactively to January 1, 2024.

This will cause New Jersey to once again have the highest corporate income tax rate in the nation at 11.5%. According to the New York Times, Governor Murphy is selling the revival of the surtax as a “corporate transit fee” because the extra revenue will be earmarked for New Jersey Transit.

The governor’s proposed flip-flop is expected to receive significant pushback from the business community. The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, which has already called the governor’s proposal a “nightmare scenario for New Jersey,” has indicated that it will be meeting with the Murphy administration and legislative leaders to voice their opposition.