Towns tame taxes by keeping children out

Bloomberg News via The Washington Times ^ | January 20, 2007 | Bob Ivry

[Kaslin]

New Jersey towns have figured out a way to sidestep the highest property taxes in the U.S. Keep children out. Educating a child in New Jersey costs an average of $12,567 a year, the most in the nation and more than double the property tax parents typically pay. So local governments have hit upon a way to expand the tax base without the expense of higher enrollment: age-restricted housing.

New Jersey developers have responded by building an estimated one-fifth of the country's adults-only housing, making the state the leader in a national trend spurred by baby boomers seeking new homes after their children move out.

[DugwayDuke]

Here's an interesting thread on why tax reform failed in NJ that is relevent to this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1770682/posts

[XRdsRev]

Taxes in New Jersey are definately high but also look at this.....

Average per capita INCOME

UNITED STATES - $ 34,586.00
NEW JERSEY - $ 43,771.00

The fact is that New Jerseyans generally make a lot more money than people in other states (except CT & MA). The number of millionaires+++ living in New Jersey is staggering. New Jersey also receives less Federal aid than any other US state. These affect the tax ratios compared to other less affluent (I hate that term) states making New Jersey look far worse than it actually is.

I am not advocating for high taxes, I am just saying that a careful mathematical look at the tax levels in New Jersey would reveal that they are not as detrimental as they seem because of the much higher income levels.

One of the big problems with taxes in New Jersey is that the state heavily subsidizes poor urban school districts and this burden is passed on to other New Jersey citizens through various taxes including local property taxes.

[XRdsRev]

At least people in New Jersey can spell "underwear".

[Fzob]

I guess those old people who hate kids and want their childless retirement communities have finally figured out a way to do it.

That's not it.

It costs a town more to "support" a family than it does retired or couples with no children at home. The numbers work out that for every dollar in tax revenue from a family costs more than a dollar in schools and services.

The real problem is school costs, not children. The feckless, spinless, not to mention not too bright local politicans cannot tame school costs, so they try and limit land use to bring in desirable homeowners. ie no kids.

As a side note the stae of NJ makes thing worse by creating unfunded mandates the towns must comply with.

[flying Elvis]

In a related article from Georgia:

http://news.mywebpal.com/index.cfm?pnpid=680&om=0

Age requirements spark argument


01/20/07
By Andrea Freygang


Developers of The Village at Maplewood have requested a change in the local land use code to match federal law after the city of Rome issued a letter of violation because some of the residents are younger than 55.

Some residents have presented a petition objecting to the change.

Jerry Hawkins, one of the residents who complained to city officials during a recent meeting, said he wants to make sure the gated neighborhood off Kingston Road east of the Coosa Valley Fairgrounds remains a senior community.

“Eventually they could water this down and take away our community,” he said. “It was marketed as 55-plus, and they need to prove they’re meeting the age limit.”

A female resident said she is concerned a young couple living near her might have a baby, fearing she might eventually hear it crying.

Officials with development said in a news article in December 2004 that some of the residents were as young as 45.

Ed Watter, with developers Brook-Watter LLC, said Rome’s land code says that the senior development must be 80 percent occupied by those 62 and older, and the other 20 percent by those 55 or older.

However, he said, Atlanta attorneys drafted the village’s bylaws based on federal law, which says 80 percent of the occupants must be 55 and older, and 20 percent can be any age.


“Only 6 percent have been sold to those under 55, but we come to the city and ask it to amend the ULDC (United Land Development Code) to coincide with the Federal Housing Act,” Watter said.

City Commissioners Wright Bagby and Norman Skidmore listened to the concerns and pledged to come up with a solution.

“When this came to Rome, we never had this before,” said Bagby. “This is a tremendous asset to Rome and Floyd County, and Norman (Skidmore) and I will come up with a solution to recommend to the full commission.”

[Fzob]

One of the big problems with taxes in New Jersey is that the state heavily subsidizes poor urban school districts and this burden is passed on to other New Jersey citizens through various taxes including local property taxes.

BINGO, you get the prize. Small towns and small regional school districts (of which there are thousands in NJ- that's another problem), support urban areas, forcing them to fund local schools at a rate higher than needed. They get nothing in return other than unfunded mandates from the a$$hats in Trenton.

[IronJack]

Now there's a typical liberal solution. Rather than control the cost of "education" (a misnomer anyway, since so few kids are actually being educated in these welfare factories), chase away the kids.

Brilliant. Just brilliant.

[ClaireSolt]

For a couple of years I tutored high school girls who came to Fl to ride horse in the winter. A NJ 11th grader brought a textbook that I thought was on about the 4th grade level.

[XRdsRev]

"Yes I have been to NJ at least a couple of times. It's flat and brown. Of course I'm biased living in the beautiful horse country of Virginia." -------------- Yep, you have New Jersey totally pegged. Here are some pics from "flat and brown" New Jersey. P.S. - A little interesting factoid for you...New Jersey has more horses per square mile than any other state.

[flynmudd]

Pardon my mistake. Is that the best you can come up with?

[Mamzelle]

They still have their illegal servants, who bring anchor babies with them...

[DogBarkTree]

Stay in VA. Anyone who would claim to know a state because they flew over it should not be allowed to fly in the first place.

[Theophilus]

A female resident said she is concerned a young couple living near her might have a baby, fearing she might eventually hear it crying.

MIGHT EVENTUALLY!!! Offended by a hypothetical baby? Hey it's a free country, but to me, this woman is an incredibly offensive b****! If she were dying in fire, I would fan the flames.

[flynmudd]

What kind of idiot logic did you use to come to that conclusion? You like your state, good for you. Stay there and enjoy the socialistic crap.

[XRdsRev]

Actually Morgan Quinto ranks education in New Jersey as the 4th best in the nation.

There are some pretty bad districts here though interspersed among fantastic ones.

[Rb ver. 2.0]

Those are just hideous. What a hell hole. :-)

[XRdsRev]

"Pardon my mistake. Is that the best you can come up with?"

Thats what I could come up with in a few minutes to contradict your a**inine earlier posts.

P.S. Does Virginia still allow those beautiful Culpepper and Fauquier county farms to dump human sewage sludge on their fields ??????

[Mr. Jeeves]

Unfortunately ignorant people too often judge New Jersey by what they see on the Turnpike or TV.

Have you seen how they judge California on FR? Had you never been here, by reading FR you would learn that the entire, gigantic state looks like a few blocks of the Castro district in San Francisco. ;)

[XRdsRev]

I know the answer......they do.

[nwrep]

Have you ever been to New Jersey ???? Most of the state is beautiful.

I've been to New Jersey. Driven through it. Yes, its not bad. In some places, may be even considered beautiful. But ... nothing compared to the gorgeous landscape vistas of the Western US. States like Colorado, Oregon, Utah blow away NJ in natural beauty. No contest.