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According to Time magazine this week, (4/16/12) pg 21, NJ has the highest taxes in the entire country. Why? Does this reflect at all on gov Christie to do something about it?
Because it can. Governments will squeeze until people start leaving. NJ has the advantage of NYC being nearby, which keeps people around despite the high taxes. (taxes in NYC and Westchester County are not considerably less than in NJ, and other costs of living can be even higher)
I just saw a list on City-Data Forum that showed the amount of return from the Federal Government per dollar each state received. Maybe New Jersey does not get its fair share in Federal spending. The year I checked, NJ only got back 61 cents per dollar of giving to the Federal Budget. That compared to $2.02 for New Mexico who was number one.
I am stating this from memory, so look for the thread about red states being free-loaders and you can look for yourself.
I would be interested to know the % of taxes paid related to the education system compared to other states. And no, this is a bash on teachers. It is a comment on the system.
1. Our public schools are amongst the best in the nation. We have the lowest drop out rate in the entire country by a long, long shot. (Source: http://www.boostup.org/en/facts/statistics)
2. Our larger cities aside, New Jersey is one of the safest places to live. Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Ocean, Bergen, and Passaic counties are ranked amongst the safest in the nation. We also have more police officers per capita than any other state. (Source: Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed)
3. We give WAY more federal tax dollars than what we get. In fact, we recieve the least money back per federal tax dollar out of all 50 states. Basically, our tax dollars go to support states that can't support themselves, ie: Alabama, West Virginia, Alaska, etc. This is common as the heavily taxed "blue states", ie New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, basically subsidize poorer "red" states. (Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/20945041@N06/2994934040/ (broken link))
If the taxes in New Jersey bother you, and you don't see the pros as being worth it, there are many, many places where you can live for much cheaper. Florida, Pennsylvania, you name it. And many people chose to do this and it's their choice and fine. The rest of us obviously live here with good reason.
1. Our public schools are amongst the best in the nation. We have the lowest drop out rate in the entire country by a long, long shot. (Source: National Dropout Rates + BoostUp.org)
2. Our larger cities aside, New Jersey is one of the safest places to live. Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Ocean, Bergen, and Passaic counties are ranked amongst the safest in the nation. We also have more police officers per capita than any other state. (Source: Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed)
3. We give WAY more federal tax dollars than what we get. In fact, we recieve the least money back per federal tax dollar out of all 50 states. Basically, our tax dollars go to support states that can't support themselves, ie: Alabama, West Virginia, Alaska, etc. This is common as the heavily taxed "blue states", ie New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, basically subsidize poorer "red" states. (Source: Blue States subsidize Red States | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/20945041@N06/2994934040/ - broken link))
If the taxes in New Jersey bother you, and you don't see the pros as being worth it, there are many, many places where you can live for much cheaper. Florida, Pennsylvania, you name it. And many people chose to do this and it's their choice and fine. The rest of us obviously live here with good reason.
To be fair, many of the "red states" have a lot more military bases, Indian reservations, national parks, and other federal holdings than the "blue states." The disparity in NJ is inexcusable though.
To answer the OP's question, it is a variety of things. First of all, this state has great amenities, resources, schools, and access. That doesn't come cheap. Second, NJ is at the heart of the Northeast, so it is a very desirable place to be. Third, we have way too much government - 566 municipalities, I think over 600 school districts, not to mention the dozens of "authorities" and "commissions" that the average tax payer doesn't even know exist. Finally, many of our public employees get salaries and benefits that are in my opinion unfairly high. So overall it is a combination of things.
I would be interested to know the % of taxes paid related to the education system compared to other states. And no, this is a bash on teachers. It is a comment on the system.
I looked at this a few years ago. We were paying the highest or second highest (alternating with NY) per student per year. We were 39th in SAT scores. While SAT scores are not the ultimate measure of anything, it seems to me with that kind of expenditure that number should have been a lot better and someone or some group should be called to account.
I looked at this a few years ago. We were paying the highest or second highest (alternating with NY) per student per year. We were 39th in SAT scores. While SAT scores are not the ultimate measure of anything, it seems to me with that kind of expenditure that number should have been a lot better and someone or some group should be called to account.
To be fair, we have a lot more students that take the SAT than most states. In many states, less than 10% of students take the SAT. In NJ, it's 76%. So in a state where only 5% take the test, you can be sure that those 5% were the top 5% of students. In NJ, both good students and lower performers take the test.
Here is a chart of participation rate by state: SAT DATA
Some light reading that barely qualifies as the tip of the NJ iceberg of corruption.
NJ electorate extremely tolerant of corruption and willing to hand over more tax money to be squandered, redirected or lost. No such thing as a dedicated tax in NJ. The large number of school districts, municipalities and an archaic edu policy also help drive up taxes.
Part of the problem is the exorbitant salaries and pensions paid to public workers. It is very common to find teachers, police officers, and firefighters in this state making over $100k, which is unheard of in most other states.
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