NJ Governor’s Race face property tax issue
Governor Corzine’s plan to deal with New Jersey’s record-high property taxes is to stick with his current approach. Republican challenger Chris Christie wants government spending to be cut drastically. And independent Chris Daggett is calling for an altogether new strategy that features the state sales tax.
After getting off to a slow start on the issue this year, the candidates have finally started talking about their plans to address property tax bills that have now grown to an average of $7,045 statewide — and much higher in North Jersey.
Governor Corzine pledges to work his plan of enforcing — and maybe lowering — local government spending caps. The caps haven’t stopped property tax bills from growing but they have cut the rate of growth roughly in half over the last four years.
Republican challenger Chris Christie is promising to drastically cut state spending, while also calling for shared services among local governments and a full restoration of property tax rebate checks.
And Daggett wants to scrap the rebate programs and put more of the state’s tax burden on the sales tax, something he says will reduce property taxes by 25 percent.
While the property tax issue has been at the front of voters’ minds for years, this year’s polls indicate it is now, by far, the biggest issue. And voters say they are also concerned with the economy and the state’s state finances, which are being stressed by an estimated $8 billion structural budget deficit and a $30 billion unfunded pension liability.
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