NJ Tax Hike Hits Flooring Installers

Trenton, NJ, June 17, 2006--Effective last Saturday, New Jersey hiked by 1% the sales tax on a range of services, including flooring installation and pet grooming. State tax now totals 7%. The added tax applies to sales of theater tickets, gas and electricity, but also to landscaping, massages and floor installation. The new tax adds 17.5 cents to the cost of a pack of cigarettes. Writing for the Trenton Courier Post, Gannett reporter Jonahtan Tamari quotes local flooring proprietor Ed Fox, owner of Fox Flooring in Ocean: "They're making it less competitive and impossible to operate."