Schundler: Plan may eventually eliminate property taxes in N.J.
Asbury Park Press
By KATHY MATHESON
NEPTUNE — Republicans can make a strong showing in November's election if they make property-tax reduction the centerpiece of their campaigns, GOP gubernatorial hopeful Bret Schundler said Tuesday.
That's the strategy Schundler is employing for his own candidacy, in which he's trying to drum up support for a pair of amendments to the state constitution that he contends can eventually eliminate property taxes altogether.
"(The campaign) is not focused on me; it's actually focused on the reforms themselves," Schundler said during a meeting with the Asbury Park Press editorial board.
Schundler's "Permanent Property Tax Reduction Amendments" essentially would cap the amount of money the state could spend on new programs each year. Spending in school districts, counties and municipalities also would also be limited unless voters approve an increase.
As the economy grows and the state collects more revenue, Schundler said, lawmakers tend to spend the additional money on new programs. The amendments would force the state instead to return the extra dollars to schools and municipalities, thus lowering property taxes.
He estimated the amendments would mean an extra $1 billion for schools and municipalities in a year of average economic growth.
Schundler's goal is to get other GOP candidates — for offices at all levels — to support this proposal and to pressure the Legislature to put the amendments on the ballot in November.
Tom Wilson, chairman of the Republican State Committee, called Schundler's campaign "a very novel approach."
"It reinforces the idea . . . that he thinks outside the box," Wilson said Tuesday. "There are parts of Bret's plan that are very appealing to people."
The proposals have become bills with bipartisan sponsorship: Assemblymen Guy R. Gregg, R-Morris, Upendra J. Chivukula, D-Somerset, and Louis Manzo, D-Hudson. Both were introduced in October and referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Schundler is one of seven Republican gubernatorial hopefuls competing for the party's nomination in the June 7 primary.
