Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce

DeCROCE ASKS CORZINE TO ACKNOWLEDGE PROPERTY TAX BILL IS NOT LASTING RELIEF

CORZINE SHOULD BEGIN THE PROCESS OF SEARCHING FOR A REAL LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO PROPERTY TAX CRISISFebruary 7, 2007
Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce/973-984-0922
Assembly Republican Office/609-292-5339

Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce today said that Governor Corzine should level with the taxpayers and acknowledge that the property tax relief bill approved by the Senate yesterday, and which he is expected to sign soon, is little more than a stop-gap measure and that the Legislature must get back to work on a long-term solution.

"Governor Corzine should not try to fool New Jersey's already cynical taxpayers by selling this bill as a long-term solution to our property tax woes," said DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. "He should be honest with the taxpayers, acknowledge that this does not meet his stated promises to them, and forcefully urge the Legislature to get back to work on this issue."

DeCroce said that the property tax bill Corzine is expected to sign, A-1/S-20, does not provide relief to all homeowners -- especially two-income middle class households, provides little more relief than taxpayers were receiving two years ago, leaves most seniors without any additional relief, fails to cover the average statewide 36 percent explosion in property taxes in the past five years, and worst of all, contains no constitutional guarantee that the relief will remain in place beyond this year.

Even some Democrats questioned the plan, such as State Senator Nia Gill who said that the plan was not lasting relief and that if the Legislature, "were selling this tax package as a product, we would be in violation of the Consumer Fraud Act."

DeCroce said he fears the Democrats are anxious to get the issue behind them, even though the end product isn't the historic, enduring reform they promised the taxpayers at the beginning of the process. In December, he noted, Senate President Richard J. Codey, D-Essex, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that, "If we do this (pass a property tax cut) -- and I think we’re going to" -- the property tax issue "goes right off the table."

"Such an attitude is unacceptable," DeCroce said.

In 2005, then candidate Jon Corzine said in a campaign position paper that he would "ensure lasting relief by hard-wiring rebates into the state budget in a way that can be paid for without raising other state taxes." He also promised honesty on the property tax issue in a Feb. 21, 2005 Trenton Times story which stated that Corzine, "said honesty in discussing property tax reform would be a pressing issue going forward."

"If Governor Corzine is still committed to honesty in discussing this issue, he should be frank in telling New Jersey residents that this tax relief is not 'lasting,' is not 'hard-wired' into the state budget, and has not been paid for 'without raising other state taxes'," DeCroce said. "If we want to provide real, lasting relief for New Jersey taxpayers, then we will need to go back to the drawing board."

DeCroce said Assembly Republicans will continue to push for a property tax reform plan that is constitutionally guaranteed and that provides substantial relief to all taxpayers. He asked Governor Corzine and Democrat legislators, particularly those who voiced concerns about A-1/S-20 yesterday, to join in that effort.

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