New year, new laws: NJ minimum wage, gas tax, turnpike tolls rise
From hitting the open road to filling up at the pump, 2025 will be a more expensive year for New Jersey drivers. But the state says there is some benefit to these heightened costs.
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Looking for a New Year’s resolution? It might be a good time to start saving up.
From hitting the open road to filling up at the pump, 2025 will be a more expensive year for New Jersey drivers. But the state says there is some benefit to these heightened costs.
New Jersey’s gas tax has gone up 2.6 cents per gallon. Drivers will be taxed just under 45 cents per gallon of gasoline and 51 cents for diesel.
That’s the highest the gas tax has been in four years.
The Department of the Treasury says it’s part of a new requirement to raise $11 billion for the state’s transportation infrastructure by 2029.
It’s another expense on what could feel like a road to nowhere for New Jersey drivers. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s 3% toll increase also went into effect on New Year’s Day. They say that’s about a 16 cent increase for the average trip.
Over the last five years, tolls have increased 15%.
The Turnpike Authority says it’s spending more than $1 billion per year on capital projects.
Something else is going up this year - minimum wage.
As it has for six years, New Jersey’s minimum wage rose on New Year’s, now reaching $15.49.
This year’s 36 cents-per-hour increase is based on the Consumer Price Index. It’s a smaller increase than the last five years, but New Jersey’s minimum wage is still one of the five highest in America. It remains lower than in New York, Connecticut, California and Washington.
