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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD |
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THE PROPERTY TAX MONSTER If you are a taxpayer in New Jersey, this is the time of year that you want to pay attention. Over the next few weeks, municipal budgets are introduced, school budgets are voted upon and the state budget is debated in Trenton. The only suspense left is how much your property tax will increase. For many Garden Staters, there is no hope that the state will tighten its belt. In last year’s budget, the Trenton Democrats raised our taxes while increasing spending by 17% from the prior year. As an encore, this year Acting Governor Richard Codey proposes to eliminate our homestead rebate checks but keep state spending at the same level. He has proposed some gimmicks, like selling state land and instituting slot machines at the Meadowlands, to increase revenue, but does nothing to cut the majority’s pet pork projects. Locally, fiscal relief doesn’t appear on the horizon. The municipal budget has not been released from committee, but it’s a safe bet that it will not include any reduction in Atlantic Highlands water and sewer rates. This will be the second budget for the Donoghue Administration and residents are still waiting for his team to deliver on their campaign promise of reduced water and sewer rates. With the word coming down from Trenton that state aid to municipalities will be frozen, it is likely that Atlantic Highlands and surrounding communities will also face additional tax increases. A lot of New Jersey residents have given up hope that property taxes can stabilize. The excess spending of the past few years by Trenton Democrats continues, and the pie in the sky campaign promises by local Democrats further erodes the public confidence. There is a property tax monster swallowing up our state, and Democrats from Trenton to Atlantic Highlands continue to shove taxpayer dollars into its throat.
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