By Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco
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I have had the great privilege of living my entire life in New Jersey – born, raised, educated, worked, and raising a family of my own in our great state. Fortunately, two of my children have put roots down here with three of my grandchildren.
Sadly, for countless of New Jersey residents, the same cannot be said. The heavy cost of living and unmanageable tax environment has led to a mass exodus. Every day, residents are left with no choice than to seek a more affordable location away from homes, friends, and families just to financially survive.
As a legislator, I have witnessed elected officials ally themselves with the same stakeholders, interest groups, & political machines which seek maintain the stranglehold they have on New Jersey’s future – the current administration is not excluded. We are in a cyclical motion, reliving past financial mistakes and failing to correct them when the opportunity arises.
Our bonded debt has reached $48 billion with over $150 billion additionally in unfunded obligations to government workers – New Jersey has written too many checks that its mouth cannot cash. We are ranked 49th for economic performance and the worst state in the country to retire in. Also, we cannot forget the issue always lurking in the shadows and on the minds of taxpayers – high property taxes.
In a state where property taxes can soar above $15,000 in some areas, it is no surprise that a majority of New Jerseyans are plagued by this burden. Even if at the $8,690 state average property tax bill, current residents struggle to maintain their homes and future homeowners are looking toward greener pastures across stateliness. Is it any wonder why governors from other states, like Texas, are actively advertising in our newspapers to attract our residents away from the Garden State, both retirees and millennials alike?
One might think that our current position would serve as an incentive to reclaim our competitiveness and provide relief, but Trenton still fiddles as the State metaphorically burns. This is clearly evident in the budget talks over the summer that not only increased overall taxes, but attempted to deprive funding from the Homestead Rebate Property Tax Relief Program. If it were not for the bi-partisan effort and public outcry, the already modest program would have been slashed in half.
That is the key, however, the public must become more involved in cultivating New Jersey’s future. Every resident should engage with each other, keep an eye on the actions of elected officials, and make use of existing source to become better informed.
Taxpayers should use platforms such as WheresTheOutrageNJ.com which I started to highlight shocking policies floating around Trenton or others, such as FairPropertyTaxesForAllNewJersey.com formed by the educational nonprofit Citizens for Accountable Taxation which breaks-down our tax system and acts as a resource for every taxpayer.
If there is one thing I have learned during my time in Trenton, it is that my colleagues tend to only respond when the public becomes engaged and make their collective voices heard. There are many ideas and solutions that would have a positive impact on reducing New Jersey’s high cost of living; however, they will only be considered if the public demands fiscal responsibility.
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Assemblyman Anthony Bucco (R-Boonton Township) represents New Jersey’s 25th Legislative District and serves as Republican Conference Leader.
