 Furthermore, Corzine and the Legislature clashed on the issue of raising the state sales tax to help balance budget.Exercising his constitutional powers as governor, Corzine ordered the shutdown as a means of pressuring the Legislature to pass a budget.The shutdown began at midnight on July 1, 2006, when Corzine called for an orderly shutdown of non-essential government services, which was followed by a second round of shutdowns three days later on July 4.