INSPECTION PROGRAM UPDATES
E-CIGARETTE TAX PROPOSAL
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS
CRITICAL NJGCA MEETING/SURVEY REMINDERS
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY FROM NJGCA

Many of you may have recently heard about the budget crisis that Governor Christie is currently facing -- he has the enormous task of filling an $800 million hole by June 30th. I have taken this opportunity to step up my efforts to totally privatize the emissions inspection program. Last week I wrote a letter to the Governor and made sure that it was copied to a number of top officials that I know will be playing a part in the decision as the inspection program comes up for renewal. I asked Governor Christie to sign an executive order immediately closing the Parsons lanes and having motorists diverted to YOUR shops. You can read my letter to the Governor here.

I also had a private meeting with MVC Chief Administrator Ray Martinez. I am not free to divulge all of the details from that meeting; however, it is more important than ever that I seek volunteers for an Inspection Committee so that we can put forth our vision for the future inspection program. Several of you volunteered when I first made this request, and I have taken the liberty of inviting several others to participate. I am having a meeting here at NJGCA headquarters on June 10th at Noon. Please let me know if you would like to serve on this committee and if you can attend this meeting. I will be serving lunch so it is important for me to know how many people will be here.

Moving on, the e-cigarette tax bill took its first step through the legislative process on Monday. It was heard in the Senate Health Committee, chaired by Senator Vitale, who is also the bill's sponsor. Despite consistent opposition to the bill, coming from the small business community and many of the boutique vape shops that fear this bill will put them out of business completely, the bill was approved in committee by a vote of 5-2-2. Senator Codey and other Democrats on the committee maintained that this tax is not intended to raise revenue, it is intended to protect the public health. The bill was amended to increase taxes on all tobacco products, including pipe tobacco, cigars, etc. except cigarettes. To hear my testimony in front of the Senate Health Committee, click HERE.

Also in Trenton, a bill that would require installation of electric vehicle charging stations in at least 5% of the parking spaces at NJ Turnpike service areas, was approved in committee and now goes to the full Senate for consideration. This is just a reminder: alternate fueled vehicles may have been on the back-burner recently, but they are not going to go away. They are never going to go away, and you need to be aware that progress and advancements in this industry will continue to be made at steady intervals. I still believe that many of you should be considering both electric charging stations and/or natural gas/propane fueling at your locations. I’ll talk more about this in the future. As I have said before, “every vehicle that fuels up with something other than gasoline and diesel is a customer that you will never get back”.

Another reminder for you:

1. Membership Dinners are coming up on May 28th and June 3rd. These evenings are the perfect opportunity to interact with your fellow business owners, meet the NJGCA Member Benefit Partners that support this organization, and learn how to improve your profits on gas and repairs in the simplest ways. You will enjoy dinner and a pleasant evening with your colleagues and Association Staff (and even a free drink if you arrive between 5:30 and 6:00 PM)!! CLICK HERE to go directly to the online registration and payment form!

2. The first big NJGCA PAC fundraiser is coming up on June 24th. This is a clay shooting event that is great for everyone, even if you have never picked up a gun before. You will have to opportunity to relax, spend the day enjoying yourself with fellow small-business owners and the NJGCA staff, eat lunch, and support the important work that the NJGCA PAC does to help your small business. With critical issues currently being discussed, including the gas tax and e-cig tax, it is up to the NJGCA PAC to protect your interests. We can't do that without your help! For complete information, please click here for the invitation and response form. YOU CAN REGISTER AND PAY FOR THE EVENT ONLINE BY CLICKING HERE! We also have a sponsorship form if you know of a business, corporation, supplier, or anyone that you work closely with who you think might be interested in supporting our cause. Please, join us as we work to influence positive changes and prevent destructive policies in Trenton!

3. The NJGCA research project on crime at gas stations is ongoing, and the participation of our members is critical! Please CLICK HERE to fill out the survey. This critical information will help NJGCA serve your interests better in a variety of ways. Please take a few minutes this weekend to complete the survey.

Finally, I want to wish you a happy Memorial Day from the NJGCA staff. Please keep in mind the true meaning of this holiday, and keep in your prayers those that have made the ultimate sacrifice and given their lives to protect the freedoms that we all enjoy.

Thanks for reading -- See you next week!

Regards,
Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

Do you have a business for sale? Are you looking for a new location or opportunity?

NJGCA also helps members sell equipment by placing advertisements in the Road Warrior!

If you'd like to list your business for sale, publish a location you're selling, or are seeking a business partner for your establishment, please contact NJGCA at 973-376-0066!

05/20/2014:
NJGCA in the News: Higher Taxes on E-cigarettes Approved by Senate Committee
Whether you chew, smoke cigars or a pipe, or have traded traditional tobacco products for electronic cigarettes, New Jersey consumers would pay a lot more for their habit under a bill a state Senate committee approved Monday. Members of the fast-growing e-cigarette industry and retailers warned the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee that the higher taxes would drive demand for the devices to the internet or other states -- taking sales tax revenue with it. "The e-cigarette business is something my members have begun to rely on in the past two years to replace the revenue lost from tobacco products," said Sal Risalvato, of the New Jersey Gasoline, Convenience Store and Automotive Association. "Common sense has to tell us vapors will be less harmful to the person using it and the people around the person using it. Putting such a severe tax on vapor products will be harmful." To read more, click the link above.

05/20/2014:
NJGCA in the News: Bill Would Extend Tobacco Tax Beyond E-Cigarettes To Cigars, Other Products
Legislators are interested in expanding Gov. Chris Christie’s proposal to tax electronic cigarettes at the same level as conventional cigarettes to other tobacco products, like cigars and smokeless tobacco. The bill (S-1867), is drawing strong opposition from e-cig and tobacco producers, wholesalers, and retailers, as well as consumers who say they use e-cigarettes to quit smoking. Bill opponents say e-cigs are clearly less harmful than regular cigarettes. Several business advocates said increasing taxes on e-cigs and other tobacco products would have negative repercussions. Sal Risalvato, executive director of the New Jersey Gasoline-Convenience-Automotive Association, said gas stations have begun to rely on e-cigarette sales in recent years. “They have always used tobacco products as an important profit center,” which would be threatened by the taxes, Risalvato said. To read more about this issue and more of Sal's comments, click the link.

5/20/2014:
NJGCA in the News: N.J. Senate Approves E-Cigarette, OTP Tax Hike
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's budget goal of generating some $35 million a year by taxing electronic cigarettes, cigars, loose tobacco and smokeless tobacco more similarly to cigarettes is one step closer to coming to fruition. The New Jersey Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee voted five to two (with two abstentions) on Monday to support a bill that would drastically raise state taxes on multiple other tobacco (OTP) products. The proposed legislation would apply a manufacturer-paid 75% tax on electronic cigarette products, and consumers would see the OTP state excise tax jump from the current 30% rate to 60%. Retailers and manufacturers argued that such a drastic tax increase would hurt not just their business, but the state economy by encouraging consumers to purchase electronic cigarettes and other tobacco products online or in other states. "The e-cigarette business is something my members have begun to rely on in the past two years to replace the revenue lost from tobacco products," testified Sal Risalvato, a member of the New Jersey Gasoline, C-Store and Automotive Association. "Common sense has to tell us vapors will be less harmful to the person using it and the people around the person using it. Putting such a severe tax on vapor products will be harmful." To read more, click the link above.

5/19/2014:
Raise the gas tax: An Interview with Frmr. Govs. Tom Kean and Brendan Byrne
This article serves as a reminder that there is broad support for an increased gas tax, and our fight against it will not be easy. Former Governors Tom Kean and Brendan Byrne, a Republican and Democrat, respectively, are in favor of this tax as a way to raise revenue to fund the Transportation Trust Fund. We will have a long road ahead in our efforts to stop this tax. To read the interview and the comments made by the former Govs., please click the link above.

TRAINING CLASSES!!
-ALL CLASSES WILL BE HELD AT NJGCA HEADQUARTERS-
66 Morris Avenue - Springfield, NJ 07081 (Union County)

We have had a number of NJGCA members successfully reduce their rate per kWh signing up through our energy saving program. We know it's difficult to collect 12 months worth of previous electric bills to get an "accurate" analysis when comparing a variable rate to a fixed rate, but we now have another option available.

This new solution is a power purchase option; the other program is still in full force and has saved members thousands of dollars. If you sign up for the power purchase option, you will be grouped with other NJGCA members until the minimum KW demand is acquired. By pooling the member's usage together, you will be able to take advantage, as large energy users do, and receive a lower kWh rate.

Each member will receive their own contract. Each member is responsible to sign and return the agreement the day it is received in order to secure the price for their group.

Please do your due diligence, so when you receive the proposal and the agreement you will be able to make an intelligent decision.

If by chance, you still want us to assess you bills, to give you a price to compare, we will require12 months of your most recent utility bills.

There are no bills required, but we would still like to have one bill per meter on file to check account #'s, meter #'s service addresses and other pertinent information incase there is a problem.

The term of the agreement is for 12 months. During this term period, you will have price protection against any energy price increases along with a low fixed kWh rate.

If you are interested in becoming part of this power purchase option, please contact Greg Cannon at the NJGCA.

Remember when you sign up your energy through the NJGCA Energy Program, TMP makes a considerable donation to the NJGCA Scholarship Fund through their proceeds. This has no affect on your rate, and costs you nothing out of pocket.

We hope to help hundreds of NJGCA members reduce their utility costs by participating in this and our other cost reduction programs. Our purpose, in the endeavor, is to help NJGCA members lower their energy costs while supporting the NJGCA Scholarship Fund.

Contact GREG CANNON at 973-376-0066 or email Greg at greg@njgca.org. Mention that you are interested in saving money on your energy bills. NJGCA & TMP Energy Solutions will handle all the rest.

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC

DEFENDING OUR MEMBERS.
PROTECTING YOUR INTERESTS.
ANSWER THE CALL & CONTRIBUTE TODAY!!

Promoting our agenda in Trenton is of utmost importance to NJGCA and our members.

However, in order to truly affect the debate, we must ensure our friends in the Legislature are re-elected. It is for this reason that your Association has established the NJGCA PAC.

For too long, the weight of funding our Political Action Committee, the arm of the Association responsible for political donations, has rested upon a few. This is not only unfair to those few members who have shouldered this burden, but means we are not utilizing our full strength to affect the debate in Trenton.

To truly understand the importance of supporting our allies, consider our successes in Trenton:

We defeated BELOW COST SELLING
We made history in getting FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL signed into law!
We have built large support for RIGHT TO REPAIR and got it passed out of the Assembly
We defended your small business against the false accusations of Attorney General Anne Milgram
We gained wide support to move New Jersey to an all PIF Inspection System and close the CIF lanes
...and MUCH MORE!!

In each instance, we achieved these goals with the help of our friends in the Legislature!

If every member contributes just $100.00 we will be able to provide the help necessary to ensure victory for our allies.

PLEASE SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO:
NJGCA PAC
66 Morris Avenue
Springfield, NJ 07081
Please make your donation payable to NJGCA PAC

I understand that times are tough for all NJGCA members, but this is just as important as any battle we have fought in the past.

We have made great progress in Trenton. I hope that you will answer the call.

THE MEMBER TOOL BOX

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