TRENTON, N.J. – In a new video, Bergen County Assemblyman John Azzariti (R-39) highlights the growing affordability gap between New Jersey and Tennessee, pointing to Tennessee’s influx of 43,000 residents from other states in a single year, bringing an estimated $2.7 billion in income with them.
The math isn’t particularly complicated. According to figures cited by Azzariti, a family living in a $500,000 home could pay approximately $9,400 annually in New Jersey property taxes compared to just $2,200 in Tennessee. A worker earning $150,000 would also save roughly $5,500 in state income taxes.
Meanwhile, major employers are investing in Tennessee while New Jersey continues struggling with private-sector job losses.
Azzariti also shares the story of Izzy, a retired Bergen County law enforcement veteran, and his wife MJ, a former New Jersey public school teacher. After spending decades building their lives in the Garden State, they packed up and moved south.
It’s an increasingly familiar story for New Jersey families who are tired of paying more and getting less.
Watch Azzariti explain why Tennessee is winning the competition for New Jersey’s families and businesses:
