Our Position on Property Taxes

The sensible and equitable approach to lowering New Jersey property taxes is to implement a progressive state income tax. Cuts in state income taxes for the upper income brackets were made during the last Republican administration and have not been restored by the current Democratic regime. But a progressive income tax would rightly place the highest tax burden on those reaping the greatest benefits from our democratic society.

Many well-paid professionals would actually prefer to pay more in income taxes now rather than to continue paying high property taxes into their later years. And only those with high incomes would have their taxes increased under a progressive system.

Another way to lower property taxes is for the state to spend less. And this ties directly into the Green Party theme that “corporate welfare” is draining money from government. The state is contracting out many services. Doing so invites “pay to play” situations, and in addition it creates an expensive layer of non-productive bureaucracy in the government. Plus, the accountability for many problems becomes once-removed from government officials.

We would like to see the state and local governments invest in the economy directly, by employing people to improve the infrastructure, for example, and to handle all those services which corporations have wrested away from government largely as a reward for campaign contributions.