Christie’s Cuts May Push N.J. Property Tax Up 8% (Update2)
April 29, 2010, 3:04 PM EDT

By Terrence Dopp

April 29 (Bloomberg) — New Jersey property tax bills, the highest in the U.S., may rise an average of $600 to make up for Governor Chris Christie’s proposed cuts in school and municipal aid, the state Senate budget committee chairman said.

Towns and schools may boost taxes as much as 8.2 percent as they seek to replace lost funding, Senator Paul Sarlo, a Democrat from Wood-Ridge, said at a hearing in Trenton today. The average property levy was $7,281 last year, according to state data.

“This is going to be a seismic shift onto property taxes,” Sarlo said in an interview. “They are being asked to shoulder a larger burden this year.”

Christie, 47, a Republican who took office Jan. 19, seeks to close a $10.7 billion deficit without raising taxes. His $29.3 billion spending plan would lower state aid to education by $820 million and trim municipal aid by $445 million.

Sarlo’s projection “would be true” if schools and local government “choose not to do what they need to do in the current fiscal environment — cuts and finding ways to be efficient,” said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the governor. “We know it will be difficult but if the state can do it, it can be done.”

New Jersey voters, stung by rising real estate levies and the worst recession since the 1930s, defeated a record 59 percent of school budgets earlier this month. Rejected plans go to local governing bodies that will decide if additional cuts are needed.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-29/christie-s-cuts-may-push-n-j-property-tax-up-8-update2-.html

Here is the funny part he called the rebates a scam and now he wants to pass them out again. Hey Christie why not just give the money to the cities and towns so they can lower the taxes?

I am not a labor union so why punish me?
Why do you Republicans sound so much like Demonrats? That is exactly what Corzine said after he cut aid to the Municipalities. You guys criticize demonrats but act exactly the same as they do. I should have voted for that Independent guy. I screwed but but I promise you I will never do that again.