Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Property taxes, hotels taxes, etc. already cover that. It was already discussed in the thread, it is only two pages long.
Just put it this way: NJ Politicians think all people living in NJ has deep pocket and think we are not already taxed enough. They will making sure we are going to be #1 taxed states in the nation. Currently #2 (behind Cali). So wouldn't surprise we get to #1 in the by the end of the decade.
It was always a surprise coming from the UK and being charged to use the beach. But I suppose someone must pay somewhere. Here the lifeboats are a charity, the big new sea wall near me is environment agency, while toilets and bins are local council.
On a recent visit to Le Touquet in France, a municipal looking water theme park had been built on the beach, and sections of the beach were cordoned off for particular hotels and travel companies. But most was available for use free of charge to anyone who turned up.
Did you grow up in a beach town, and did you use the beaches in the town where you lived?
99.3% of the people laying on the sand in Ocean City right now do not live in Ocean City. Their property taxes are not helping the beaches in Ocean City. IMO, if you live in a beach town and pay property taxes (and assuming the town's budget uses some property tax revenue for beach maintenance), the town should mail you some seasonal beach tags. And perhaps towns do this, IDK.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
Pretty simple it is a user fee. Somebody has to pay for the upkeep and maintenance. Somebody has to pick up the trash, somebody has to sit in the lifeguard stands to make sure nobody drowns.
I don't care if you don't get charged to use the beaches in SC or NC or Hawaii but somebody is paying to maintain those beaches.
Can you imagine how nasty the beaches would look at all the "free" beaches of nobody was paid to maintain them?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NY Annie
South Carolina charges tax on food, NJ and most other New England states do not - in fact, I had never heard of a food tax until we went to Myrtle Beach. California does not charge a use tax for their beaches, nor does Hawaii, but (to my knowledge, without looking it up), their property taxes are pretty high - as are the hotels.
BTW, the only thing special about Myrtle Beach is there is a wheelchair for the handicapped available at the lifeguard station. But parking was not available except at the hotel and there were no places to change or restrooms. Maybe that is why there were so few people using the beach.
This seems so laughable.
Maybe, it's just the quality of people that goes to the beaches in New Jersey?
First, California and Hawaii's property taxes are nothing like NJ's. That's laughable.
I live in Coastal California and of course we don't charge people to come to the beach, we invite them to our beach communities.
What maintenance? Most are pretty conscience about leaving nothing behind here but we take pride in our beaches. We have nonstop volunteers to pick up any trash in our town which includes the beach if need be. Fortunately, most don't leave anything. Accept maybe a occasional lost shoe or boogie board.
The person spouting off about day trippers not paying their fair share, Very short-sighted. Our city welcomes day trippers . Particularly all of our local businesses. We don't look at them as interlopers.
Again our property taxes are nothing like NJ's. Hawaii is close to the bottom on property taxes as well.
Property tax as a percent to value
CA - 0.34
Hawaii - 0.26 NJ- 1.89
Property tax as a percent to income
CA -3.59
Hawaii- 1.62 NJ- 7.45
Disclaimer: The above numbers shift a little each year and differ depending on what part of your state you live in but are averages.
Nothing on the East Coast south of NJ comes close to total taxes and user fees NJ taxes its citizens.
Not even when you included the few states that tax groceries.
Quote:
Did you grow up in a beach town, and did you use the beaches in the town where you lived?
Yes and people the world over visit our free clean beaches everyday. All year round is a good beach day here.
By the way our bed tax (Transient Occupancy Tax) is 10%.
NJ is what, 12% on Hotels?
NJ is user fees, taxes and tolls Kings. You can't get enough. Yet, you think nobody pays their fair share? You have to make those people using your beaches pay.
It's ridiculous to charge a user fee for people to go to the beach. I also think it is ridiculous for people to charge sales tax on food in the states that do. 13 states, I think.
Personally, I think it is a quality of life issue. Worrying about if you can afford to go to the beach is a major, SUCK.
I don't understand what everybody is getting so twisted up about. In NJ, if you want to go to the beach you have to pay. If you do not want to pay then go to the beach elsewhere. I live in Italy (although NJ born and raised) and here you can pay 12 euro a day to start to get an umbrella and recumbent chair on a clean beach. On the other hand, you can pay nothing and go to a free beach where the sand is dirty and no life guards to look after you.
Also, what is with all the comparing NJ to other states? South Carolina is the fastest growing....WHO CARES?!!! I can give you hundreds of reasons off the top of my head why living in NJ is infinitely better than living in S. Carolina, just look at the difference in per capita income of residents, breathtaking!
We even have a Californian commenting on the quality of people on NJ's beaches. That's nice if Californians care about their beaches apparently however they care far less about their dilapidated infrastructure, their failing public school system, and soaring poverty rates. Volunteer is the operative world in Cali since the state is the emblem of financial insolvency and can barely afford who is already on its pay roll. It may suck to have to pay for the beach but why be dramatic and claim it to be a "quality of life issue." Trust me, of all the things residents of NJ and the North East complain about having to pay to get on the beach isn't one of them.
As far as people taking their money and going elsewhere, well that hasn't happened yet and the Jersey Shore has been attracting tourists from all over for well over a century now. Lastly, by the way, we already established the Jersey Shore attracts many day trippers so what is their other choice then? Don't pay $10 and continue to drive for 4 more hours burning an extra $100 plus in gasoline just to show NJ they will gladly go elsewhere to not pay $10 for beach access. Why cut your nose to spite your face!
The point is, in NJ, you have both. Again, I grew up in SJ and literally went to the beach everyday in the summer, so we paid taxes and had to buy beach tags, why is this acceptable?
Live in NYC and pay a boat load of taxes to the MTA yet still must pay a fare to ride the buses and subways. Why is that?
Beach maintenance? We're not just talking about a sneaker or a candy wrapper left behind. Beaches are raked to remove mounds of seaweed. Sand is dumped after a heavy surf or storm.
I guess having to pay to use the beach is just as acceptable--or not--as paying a fee to use a state park. I really resent that.
If you don't like the fee, don't go to the beach in NJ. I wouldn't pay 5 cents to go to one of the beaches in NJ. They are crowded with obnoxious people and the water is filthy.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
