Tuesday, July 13, 2010

“Christie To Sign Property Tax Cap Bill” plus 1 more

“Christie To Sign Property Tax Cap Bill” plus 1 more


Christie To Sign Property Tax Cap Bill

Posted: 13 Jul 2010 07:33 AM PDT

New Jersey's property tax reform is just a signature away.
And it's a big victory for Governor Chris Christie who stood firm on his effort to enact property tax relief.
A 2% cap overwhelmingly passed the assembly.
Christine Persichette reports.

New Jersey's governor is set to sign legislation Tuesday that will cap local spending and property tax growth at 2 percent a year.

The new law reduces the current 4 percent cap and allows fewer exemptions that has slowed the rate of property tax growth from more than 7 percent in 2007 to just over 3 percent last year.

New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the country, averaging nearly $7,300 per homeowner. Public schools eat up the largest share of property tax dollars.

The bill signing comes a day after the Assembly overwhelmingly passed the bill. The Senate approved the measure last week after Gov. Chris Christie and Senate President Steve Sweeney struck a compromise between competing proposals.

 

Five Filters featured article: Headshot - Propaganda, State Religion and the Attack On the Gaza Peace Flotilla. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

With NJ property tax cap passed, some lawmakers already seeking changes

Posted: 13 Jul 2010 01:15 AM PDT

(2 of 2)

Christie had said, at a news conference earlier in the month, he would oppose expanding local governments' authority to raise taxes.

Ben Dworkin, who runs a political science center at Rider University, said Democrats needed to be seen as advocates for property tax relief but nonetheless feel pressure from unions and other groups, such as parents who want more money for schools.

"It's not the final chapter on property tax debates in New Jersey," Dworkin said. "If parents start seeing 35 kids in a classroom, if they see layoffs, then there might be blowback."

The state's largest teachers union, which has battled with Christie all year, opposes the property tax cap.

New Jersey Education Association President Barbara Keshishian watched the Assembly vote from the front row of the balcony overlooking the chamber. After the vote, she predicted it would have a "devastating effect" on public education.

During the session on Monday, Democrats said they wanted to add other exemptions to the property tax cap. Those would include exceptions for funds that must set aside when property owners don't pay their taxes, for decreased state aid, or for large expenses associated with teaching disabled children.

One Republican, Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon of Monmouth County, said he could consider more exemptions. Still, he said, this was one big step in helping slow the growth in the state's highest-in-the-nation property tax bill.

"There is a Chinese proverb that says, 'It takes many nails to shut a coffin.' This is one nail," O'Scanlon said.

Legislators will now turn their attention to a series of proposals that Christie calls his tool kit, aimed at reducing costs for local governments and schools.

Christie proposed the changes to the current property tax cap in his gubernatorial campaign last year. He called for a special session of the state Legislature over the July 4 holiday weekend before coming to an agreement with Democratic state Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, D-Gloucester.

The Senate approved Christie's version contained in a conditional veto last Thursday. The Assembly voted on the same measure today.

The bill caps, or limits, the annual increase in local property taxes at 2 percent but allows for exemptions in spending for health care; pensions; payments of debt and interest or capital expenditures; or in the case of emergencies.

Assembly Democrats noted that both pension and health care insurance costs are expected to rise by more than 20 percent in the coming year.

Democratic Assembly members Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. and John S. Wisniewski, both of Middlesex County; Annette Quijano of Union County; and Bonnie Watson Coleman of Mercer County voted against the tax cap Monday.

Five Filters featured article: Headshot - Propaganda, State Religion and the Attack On the Gaza Peace Flotilla. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

0 comments:

Post a Comment