Posted on 11/29/2014 10:16:01 AM PST by SeekAndFind
New Jersey’s openly gay state assemblyman, who was called “numbnuts” [1] in 2012 by Gov. Chris Christie (R), thinks he can do what Christie has never been able to do, numb or not: get New Jerseyans to stay in New Jersey.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora’s (D) solution is astoundingly simple. He wants to offer state home and business owners the opportunity to slash their property taxes by 25 percent.
The New Jersey Legislature would then be tasked with figuring out how to make up the difference through budget cuts.
The best Christie has been able to offer is a cap on future property tax increases.
Gusciora calls his idea Proposition New Jersey [2].
This isn’t the first time Gusciora has tried to get this legislation approved by his colleagues in the state Senate and Assembly. But now it might be more important than ever to get it done. A new study shows New Jersey could lose half of its residents who are fed up with shouldering one of the worst tax burdens in the nation.
The New Jersey Turnpike could soon be packed with residents who want to see the New Jersey border sign in their rearview mirrors.
A Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press study —coming a couple of weeks after a Tax Foundation study showed the Garden State’s business tax rate to be the worst in the nation — demonstrated the state’s property taxes are inciting half of the state’s residents to make plans to get out of New Jersey.
However, property taxes are not the only problem faced by those with Garden State license plates on their vehicles. New Jersey’s sales tax is one of the highest in the nation, at 7 percent, behind only California’s 7.95 percent sales tax.
The kicker is that this is not the first time New Jersey residents have told Monmouth University they want to move out permanently.
The study showed the continuation of a seven-year tend of residents planning an exodus from New Jersey.
“Very little has happened over the past few years to change Garden State residents’ desire or ability to remain in the state,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Fifty percent of New Jersey residents who responded to the Monmouth University survey released Nov. 10 said they would like to move out of the state at some point compared to 45 percent who said they would like to remain in the Garden State for the rest of their lives.
Of course a frog wants to grow wings so he won’t whomp his butt every time he jumps, but how likely is that to happen?
When asked to assess the probability they actually would move, regardless of whether they want to, 26 percent of all residents said it is very likely and 32 percent said it is somewhat likely they would leave the state.
It is the middle class for whom exit visas might be most imminent.
Only 31 percent of New Jerseyans who make more than $100,000 a year said they are very likely to leave compared to 25 percent of those in the $50,000 to $100,000 a year salary range who are packing their bags.
Among those who are likely to leave the state, the survey showed 50 percent said they would do so before they retire and 40 percent plan to move after they retire.
“The state’s high cost of living is the driving factor, and the chief culprit among these costs is New Jersey’s property tax burden,” said Murray.
Among those who say they are at least somewhat likely to move out of the state, over half (54 percent) cite costs or taxes as their primary motive. This includes 24 percent who blame property taxes as the main reason behind a move.
New Jersey officials —who, let’s be honest, are sometimes noteworthy for their arrogance —can’t take a “don’t let the door hit you where the Lord split you” attitude.
“This (exodus) would leave behind a depleted tax base coupled with a population in need of greater support. If these indications come to fruition, the affordability anxieties that are driving people out of the state now will only get worse,” said Murray.
Of course, it is never all about the economy. Other quality of life issues were mentioned, though much less frequently.
This listed included 6 percent who complained about New Jersey’s weather, 3 percent who were unhappy with the environment, 2 percent fed up with congestion, 2 percent who cited poor government, 2 percent who blamed their dissatisfaction on crime, 2 percent who said New Jersey was a bad place to raise a family, and 1 percent who cited the schools. Others said they just want a change of scenery (12 percent) or want to be closer to their families (4 percent).
But how much can any governor or legislature do?
Christie signed legislation in June 2014 that might not have lowered property taxes, but it did put a cap on future increases.
The legislation was also designed to continue to provide municipalities with the tools they need to keep property taxes down by placing an interest arbitration cap on police and fire contracts.
“Today we are once again delivering meaningful and substantive reform to curb property taxes for all New Jerseyans,” said Christie.
“This reform has already showed that it works to protect taxpaying families, who faced year after year of skyrocketing property taxes before we came into office and brought historic reforms and the lowest level of property tax increases in over two decades.”
Under the bipartisan reforms, including Cap 2.0 and the arbitration cap, property tax growth was slowed to its lowest level in two decades, with statewide increases of 1.4 percent and 1.7 percent in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
The Monmouth/Asbury Park Press survey is not the only evidence of the New Jersey tax burden.
The Tax Foundation’s 2015 State Business Tax Climate Index released Oct. 28 showed New Jersey business tax climate to be the worst in the nation.
“The states in the bottom ten suffer from the same afflictions: complex, non-neutral taxes with comparatively high rates,” wrote the study’s authors, Scott Drenkard and Joseph Henchman.
“ New Jersey, for example, suffers from some of the highest property tax burdens in the country, is one of just two states to levy both an inheritance and an estate tax, and maintains some of the worst structured individual income taxes in the country,” Drenkard and Henchman wrote.
However, one reader of NJ.Com [3] who commented on the Monmouth/Asbury Park Press study pointed out that money isn’t everything.
“Devil’s Advocate” plans to say in New Jersey.
“It’s expensive, but I like it here. I’d probably die of boredom anywhere else.”
Some of those beach goers loafers leave not even a footprint in the sand. :)
Gas prices in NJ always trend to amongst the lowest in the nation. They make up for it by levying draconian tolls anytime you want to drive anywhere.
35 cents / gallon less than NYS.
I’m sure there’s a lot of crossing over on the border.
Please. Any LIBs/DIMs...please stay in your wonderful state. Every other state sucks. You would be unhappy elsewhere.
They have the same stupid law in Oregon. I found that out a few years ago when I pulled into a gas station on my Harley and found it necessary to tell the attendant that I would break his arm if he scratched the paint on my tank. He decided to let me pump it myself. Bikers are now allowed to insert and remove the nozzle themselves. while the attendant carefully pumps the gas.
Moved here 3 years ago. But out asap. The liberals sit around and think up new laws everyday! Next year if passed no Dpt store will be able to open before 9pm on TG! It’s like all lawmakers need their name on a bill. The gun issue is ridiculous. I left the arsenal home for fear of jail in transport ( Was told to do so by fiends ).
As far as the gas pump issue yea it’s as cheap as other states but be sure to check you cap being on. Mine was left off and a rain storm hit $353.00 to clean injectors and fuel sys. Prop tax is $12,000 So yea I’ll pay the Bridge token to get out of the State when cash will allow!
Northwest and southern NJ are fairly picturesque in scenery. Toss out the area bordering NYC, Camden and Trenton and the state is not so bad. Being the high tax hellhole governed by ash holes is the clinker. That goes for Christy Creme too.
Governor Crisco thinks his loud obnoxious nature is what makes him so loveable as well as America’s next President.
Nah. Most of Brooklyn moved to Staten Island.
“But out asap.”
I sure don’t blame you.
“The state is a cesspool of liberalism, political correctness, toxic waste, and oppressive gun laws.”
The GUN LAWS have a MUCH BIGGER EFFECT than local politicians (anywhere) have any clue. There is literally half of this country that simply will not move to a gun-grabbing state. Some, like my children, are well educated and could pay BOATLOADS of taxes (of all kinds), but they want to have something more powerful than a spatula to defend themselves when the bad guys kick in the doors.
Yes, people who earn big money will move to gun-grabbing states, but MANY OTHERS, the people that use their gun rights, simply will not. The converse simply does not exist. Liberals will still move to Texas (unfortunately), but they will CHOOSE to not own guns (initially). Bottom line is that we win.
Today, they don’t see that, but as companies see their best workers ‘requesting’ to work remote in gun-rights states, they WILL, slowly, catch on.
The part of Jersey that borders the Delaware River (Huntington County?) is very beautiful. The problem is always the industrial section that is nearest NY. Pretty ugly but I guess if ensures some employment.
“Obviously you only give references for people in your circle that believe in 2nd amendment rights. “
Yeah, that makes it better. /s
The process takes up to two months to complete, they told me. I'll be finding out.
I think they sandbagged me though. I wanted a shotgun for shooting trap and when I turned in the forms the old lady at the desk said "why, you didn't check the box for handguns! You won't be able to purchase one, you know. Don't you want to check that, just in case you decide to buy one?" She talked me into it and I'm worried that she put me on a different, tighter process which is more restrictive. We'll see.
I lived and worked in NJ, for 31 years. I had to send an email to the State Senator in my district, about the slow response (89 days) for a “Permit to Purchase a Handgun”. The detective in charge of this was an A$$. He was anti-gun, all the way. I would go for three permits, at a time. He called me and wanted to know could I afford three handguns in 90 days. I messed with him, I purchased three and one time.
He must of heard from the Senator’s office, my next permits were processed in 30 days.
When I knew that I was going to retire, moved to PA. Got my carry permit without a hitch. I’m now in Florida for the final hitch.
They’re talking about state sales tax. Municipal or county tax added on top of that is another matter.
Let the conservative move out of NJ, and build a wall to keep the libs out of PA. I live in PA, and it’s bad enough that we’re blue from Philly, but the libs from NY, and NJ move to the Pocono’s and turn the state even more blue. :-(
My family is a long time Jersey family, we have been there since before the Revolutionary War. I’m one of 6 kids, only one of my sisters is left in NJ.
We left there in 2004. It was the best thing we ever did. Now in NE PA but working in Phillipsburg, NJ could never go back. It’s a shame because there are many good folks in the Garden State. Still fill up the tank in Pburg though!
I like to say that my home in PA, sitting on it’s 3.5 acres would cost 4 times what I paid for it 10 years ago and the taxes would be $1000.00/month.—if it were in NJ. We sold our house in Tuckerton, a 1100 sq ft ranch on a 100 x 100 foot lot for $25,ooo more than we paid for our PA home, 1800 sq ft plus a 2 car detached on a nice quiet street, big yard and half the taxes.
The last time I bought a handgun in NJ, it took me 5 months to get the purchase permit and cost $48.00. Moved over the border and the got my PA CCR in 29 minutes. 29 minutes and I can shoot in my back yard, no one cares.
Probably the only thing I really miss about Jersey and the shore is the boating opportunities. Here we have a lake and there are no horsepower restrictions but it’s only a lake. I grew up in Belmar, we had the Shark River Marina and the Atlantic Ocean right there. That was nice and even as kids we knew it was a special place.
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