New Jersey is home to more “regular” school districts than municipalities.
Tax Policies
Schools Should be Prime Target for Realignment
Friday, September 5th, 2008Housing Costs, Property Taxes Shift Along with Population
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008Gloucester County still leads New Jersey’s 21 counties in population growth, growing by 1.58 percent between 2006 and 2007, nearly seven times the statewide growth rate of 0.23 percent. Somerset (1.09 percent) and Cumberland (0.89 percent) were the second and third fastest-growing counties in the past year, respectively.
Several counties in […]
Taxes, Infrastructure Repair, and Lane Use
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007At 10.5 cents per gallon, New Jersey has the third-lowest gasoline tax in the nation; only Alaska and Georgia* are lower. Washington has the highest tax: 36 cents per gallon.
New Jersey’s gasoline tax has not been raised since 1988. If the tax had kept pace with inflation, it would be 16 cents per gallon […]
Washington Township and Smart Growth
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007The estimated average property tax bill in Washington Township increased by 84 percent between 1998 and 2004. This was the 14th-largest increase among all 566 municipalities in the state, and the biggest increase in Mercer County. (East Windsor Township is second in the county, and 36th statewide, with a 71.6 […]
Tax Relief without Reform?
Friday, January 12th, 2007New Jersey’s local governments shoulder a larger share of public education costs than most other states. Currently, 53.3 percent of revenues for public schools are raised locally in New Jersey, compared to a national average of only 43.9 percent.
New Jersey is heavily reliant on property taxes to pay for local services, […]
Can Property Tax Relief Help Slow Sprawl?
Monday, December 18th, 2006New Jersey’s overdependence on property taxes to pay for local services, especially schools, is perhaps the most significant factor behind the state’s sprawling growth patterns, which have hurt families, businesses, the environment, and the economy.
The average cost of educating one child in NJ is $12,981, while the median property tax bill […]
Cashing in on History
Tuesday, November 28th, 2006States around the country are making money off of history.
Historic tax credit programs, found in 28 states, provide property owners with economic incentives to revitalize older neighborhoods and reuse historic structures by providing state tax credits for their rehabilitation. These tax credit programs have been found to be a boon for state economies.
In Rhode Island, […]
Fewer Kids Living in Transit Villages and Town Homes
Sunday, November 26th, 2006A new analysis of 2000 U.S. Census data from Rutgers University finds that higher-density, multiunit development near train stations does not bring in nearly the number of schoolchildren as previously believed—and often actually produces fewer children than larger, single-family homes.
Previous studies, based on 25-year-old demographics, and upon which currently held […]
Voting for Property Tax Relief or Reform?
Friday, November 3rd, 2006On election day next Tuesday, Ballot Question #1 will ask New Jersey voters to vote on a constitutional amendment that would dedicate a half-cent of the new one-cent sales tax increase to not-yet-defined “property tax reform.”
The revenue would be dedicated every year unless removed by another ballot question, even if other tax reforms are […]
The Property Tax Problem
Friday, July 28th, 2006New Jersey’s legislators should work to change the way taxes are collected and distributed in order to create meaningful and lasting reforms.
