N.J. property tax bills increased by more than 2 percent last year, now top $8,000
FEBRUARY 2, 2015, 9:50 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2015, 7:04 PM
BY JOHN REITMEYER
STATE HO– USE BUREAU |
THE RECORD
The cap Governor Christie and lawmakers placed on local property tax increases in 2010 seemed to be working. Average property tax bills in New Jersey had grown since that cap went into effect, but the rate of growth was declining.
That all changed last year when, according to new numbers released by the state, the average property tax bill grew by 2.16 percent, beating both the prior year’s growth rate and exceeding the 2 percent limit for the first time since it was put in place in 2010.
The result was property tax bills — long a top complaint of New Jersey residents — went above $8,000 on average for the first time ever in New Jersey. And in some places the bills were much higher last year.
In Bergen County, average property bills increased to $10,826. Passaic County property tax bills rose to $9,572.
To be fair, property taxes have grown by much larger clips in the past. Just a decade ago, the rate of growth from 2004 to 2005 was over 7 percent.
But last year’s increases also came at a time when Christie, due to state budget problems, delayed property tax relief that comes from Trenton via the state’s popular Homestead tax-credit program. The result of that delay meant no one who qualifies for that property tax relief saw a dime last year even as their bills went up on average by $173 to $8,161.
Maybe if Christie spent more time in state he could had done something
, but things still must be paid for.
Maybe if the union employees didn’t get such generous pensions and benefits we would not have this problem.
Christie can’t stop all of the past giveaways by democrats with th stroke of a pen.l
Dam union thugs. They are the cause of all of NJ problems.
What would Christie have been able to do had he spent more time in the State? Property taxes are managed at the municipal level, so tell me again what he could have done?