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Something is VERY wrong. I will NEVER understand why property taxes are so high, especially since when I go to other states, my friends laugh at me when I tell them what I pay in taxes.
You are right there. When I tell people what I used to pay in property taxes back in NJ they just call me a liar or say I am exaggerating. There is nothing I can say that convinces them I am telling the truth. It is simply that hard to believe that a state so bad as NJ can charge what they do without the people taking up arms and marching on city hall.
Same with NJ car insurance. No one believes me when I say how much I paid there.
Something is VERY wrong. I will NEVER understand why property taxes are so high, especially since when I go to other states, my friends laugh at me when I tell them what I pay in taxes.
when you have 100k a year cops, 100k a year teachers, 150+ a year school administrators, and high paid town employees, the money needs to come from somewhere and that somewhere is you.
Keep supporting full day pre k programs, keep supporting abbot school districts, keep supporting free health care for all, keep the archaic local government structures, keep supporting double and triple dipping politicians, you'll keep paying ever rising taxes.
Everyone wants lower taxes but when you try and make cuts the activists come out of the woodwork and protest any cuts in "their" programs.
The only way to cut taxes is to CUT SPENDING!
in terms of overall tax burden, NJ is 10th or 14th. we're so focused on the "in your face" property taxes this gets lost. other states nickel and dime you to death (for instance, tax on clothing and food and personal property taxes on cars).
just checked some data, according to the tax foundation in 2007 nj was ranked 10th, 2006 we were 12th, not a good trend, and this doesn't include tolls which for some people is another tax of a few hundred a month
Very correct. You just described my Mom who will not leave where she grew up. Instead she struggles to afford $9000 a year for a little house like the one you described in Woodbridge.
What the hell are your politicos doing with all that money they are extorting from you? They sure ain't spending it on roads and bridges. Well ok....you do have the highest paid teachers on earth thanks to that useless waste Tom Kean. The overpaid teachers still do not account for $10,000 per house in the state. Where is it all going?
Any guesses?
Don't forget the police salaries too. In my town (a town with 24,000 residents) we have sargents making six figure salaries. The Rutherford police chief recently retired at age 55 and at the time of his retirement was making 182,000 a year. Now that he's retired he will get a six figure per year pension for the rest of his life which will probably be 30+ years or more. On top of that let's not forget the lifetime medical benefits these state employees get for themselves as well as their spouses. It's no wonder why retirees and people with private sector jobs can't afford to live in this state anymore.
Well there is one more way to cut your taxes........
Get the hell out like the rest of us. Go west young man. In fact, go east, north or south but just go unless you want to be drained of your money and your blood.
We have 3 political parties. The Democrats, the Republicans, and the NJ Teachers Union. The last one is the most powerful of them all. And may they decompose in hell amonst the flames of Satan.
Don't forget the police salaries too. In my town (a town with 24,000 residents) we have sargents making six figure salaries. The Rutherford police chief recently retired at age 55 and at the time of his retirement was making 182,000 a year. Now that he's retired he will get a six figure per year pension for the rest of his life which will probably be 30+ years or more. On top of that let's not forget the lifetime medical benefits these state employees get for themselves as well as their spouses. It's no wonder why retirees and people with private sector jobs can't afford to live in this state anymore.
Using that copper chief for an example is a real good reason for your high taxes. Come on now. $182K for doing nothing but sitting at a desk? It also sounds a lot like the Auto Makers and the Unions. The assembly workers salaries were climbing to orbit thanks to the unions. $25% of the cost of a new car goes to benifits to those who have long since retired. Most of those assembly workers were making $35/hr on up. When they retire they retire with making the same money as their pension. Just how high could it go before the car companies crashed. Oh.....the car companies already did crash. No one can afford to buy a new car anymore.
Gee... I wonder if this same crash could happen to NJ government.
when you have 100k a year cops, 100k a year teachers, 150+ a year school administrators, and high paid town employees, the money needs to come from somewhere and that somewhere is you.
Keep supporting full day pre k programs, keep supporting abbot school districts, keep supporting free health care for all, keep the archaic local government structures, keep supporting double and triple dipping politicians, you'll keep paying ever rising taxes.
Everyone wants lower taxes but when you try and make cuts the activists come out of the woodwork and protest any cuts in "their" programs.
The only way to cut taxes is to CUT SPENDING!
Couldn't be further than the truth...how can a city like NYC set the starting salaries of teachers and cops so low compared to NJ?
My father in law, 83 years old, still lives in Irvington, near Mill Rd. He will not move. Has lived in the same house for over 65 years. His taxes are $5,500.
His house has been broken into twice, they stole all his late wives jewerly and $1,000 cash. I know, he was crazy having that much money at home.
He could have moved to Arizona after his wife died 20 yrs. ago to be with his other son. He wouldn't have it. He'd rather rot in an old house with cold winters and leave his thermostat at 62 degrees!! Stubborn!
Getting back on topic, I understand from my brother-in-law, that if you're a senior citizen in Arizona, you don't have to pay school taxes. That's what they should do in NJ.
Don't quote me but I believe that NJ has passed a law that seniors..at full retirement age, can freeze their taxes. You'll have to check with the local tax assessor's office and there may be some forms / applications they will have to fill out. This was told to me by a neighbor but I never had a chance to actually check into it. If you find anything out, can you share as I'm sure a few seniors in here would like to know if that is true or not.
Hi Wiley...your right my mother still lives in the same house I grew up in ...in North Edison...and yes I remember her telling me she had to fill out a form to freeze her taxes. The only problem is she still has to pay almost $800 a month. It's crazy!
Couldn't be further than the truth...how can a city like NYC set the starting salaries of teachers and cops so low compared to NJ?
do you have any data to back up your assertions or are you pulling your facts out if the air? Who cares what nyc does? we are talking about NJ
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