In his push to cut taxes, Gov. Chris Christie argues that New Jersey lost two million residents and $18 billion in income because of its fiscal policies.

"These facts are not debatable," he said during his February budget address. "They come directly from Internal Revenue Service statistics, not from the rantings of some left-wing think tank."

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie watches the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional Final between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the North Carolina Tar Heels at Wells Fargo Center on March 27, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie watches the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional Final between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the North Carolina Tar Heels at Wells Fargo Center on March 27, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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But Christie's figures have been debated plenty. Critics say they were cherry picked to paint a dire economic picture as lawmakers consider bills to eliminate the estate tax.

Total income among residents in New Jersey actually grew by more than $70 billion during the decade in question and the state's overall population figure rose considering those who moved in, according to IRS and U.S. Census data.

To make his case, Christie cites a pro-business group's report released less than a week before his budget address that calls for the state to reform its inheritance and estate taxes.

The report from the New Jersey Business & Industry Association found that the more than 2 million residents moved out of the state from 2005 to 2014 and took $18 billion in net adjusted gross income with them.

While Christie has highlighted those figures, they don't include people who moved into New Jersey during that same time frame. Counting people from other states and countries, New Jersey only lost about 86,000 people, according to the migration data. Overall, New Jersey's population grew slightly from 8.7 million in 2005 to 8.9 million in 2014, according to census data.

Jon Whiten, deputy director of the liberal think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective, which hosted an event Thursday to rebut the report, said it ignores New Jersey's income growth and fails to prove that cutting taxes will influence people's decisions to stay or leave. People move away for a variety of reasons, he said, including higher property taxes and housing costs.

"Reading the (NJBIA) report, you'd think no one is left in New Jersey," Whiten said. "It's just five guys and some deer. That's not the case."

But Joel Naroff, one of the study's authors, said critics are missing the point.

"It's not that income in the state isn't growing," he said. "But could it grow faster?"

Naroff said the report focused on how New Jersey can get people to stay, including reforming the tax structure, with an immediate focus on the inheritance and estate taxes. The report also calls for more training in higher education and making it more affordable.

"There are economic implications of what goes on in the state, and we're talking about it in terms of gains and losses," he said.

Christie has been interested in the issue since taking office. A report to his transition team in January 2010 raises concerns about residents leaving along with billions of dollars in income.

State treasury department officials also discussed a draft of the NJBIA report with its authors before it was published, according to emails obtained by The Associated Press through the state's open records act.

A spokesman said state officials had no role in drafting the study.

"There is nothing unusual about that sharing of data, in particular among respected, professional fellow economists," said spokesman Joseph Perone, adding that the two economists who spoke with the NJBIA "frequently exchange information with outside organizations regarding economic research that is relevant to New Jersey."

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