Hot take from another high-tax state person: if you want to give the government an extra hundred bucks a paycheck, nobody's stopping you. Write the check. What bugs me is the leap from "I want to pay more" to "everyone like me should." NJ already takes plenty, and somehow we still get bloated agencies, insane property taxes, and trains that break when it drizzles. I'd rather keep more of my own money and give it straight to a food bank or local church pantry where I can see it doing something. Charity should be voluntary. Taxes are what the state can force out of you, not a personality test.