Balancing act for North Jersey towns, residents as tough times give rise to tax appeals
MARCH 29, 2014, 11:38 PM LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2014, 11:40 PM
BY MARY DIDUCH
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
As a deadline to file tax appeals looms Tuesday, municipalities in North Jersey are facing another wave of property owners asking for a break — and another round of worries about a dwindling tax base.
Tax appeals from residents and business owners remain high for the third straight year, a new normal that indicates the slow economic recovery still has people watching their expenses closely.
Outdated property assessments are partly to blame. But homeowners are also more savvy about the appeals process, experts say. Most have nothing to lose, save the nominal filing fee.
And big businesses are becoming serious about slashing spending by routinely filing annual appeals — even taking towns, like Woodcliff Lake, to court — to pay a smaller share.
All this has led some towns to face budget shortfalls or issue debt as they scramble to dig deep for refunds. For many officials, it’s a balancing act as they struggle to rein in costs and keep property taxes — some of the highest in the nation — down.
Tax Appeals should not be allowed except in provable cases of incorrect assessments being done. If it’s hardship that’s driving a case, then there’s only two ways to go. Pay up, or sell you house and move on.
Wow, communism in our own backyard. Maybe we shouldn’t allow pay increases, along with cost of living adjustments, longevity pay, and absurd sick leave and massively subsidized Cadillac healthcare plans for our municipal employees, either. Then there’s only two ways to go. Work harder, or get a job in Glenrock of Ho-Ho-Kus if they’ll hire you.
Apparently you have never participated in the process.
The municipality is assumed to be correct and is allowed to over-assess by 15%.
The taxpayer must prove that they are over-assessed by MORE than 15 % or they are stuck with the tab with the higher tax bill that comes along with an over-assessment.
So as long as the municipality is ‘incorrect’ by only 14.99%, they can continue to over-tax the taxpayer.
The problem I see is that the few who have the time and the will to traverse the complex process of the appeal, and get their taxes reduced, are making it more expensive for the rest. The valuation process is probably far from perfect, but I suspect it ‘s imperfect for all.
How are people who are over-assessed and exerting their rights to a fair market value mumber making it more expensive for the rest?
I never had any children in the schools, my home wasn’t even close to assessed value, and its a modest home… so why the hell should I subsidize some millionaire on Mountain ave with 5 kids in the schools? (whose taxes went down about 20 percent)