June 2, 2005 Money talks -- Corzine refuses not to raise taxes
By Charles Webster of AP
THE TRENTONIAN
EAST WINDSOR -- Sen. Jon Corzine unveiled his property tax relief ideas yesterday, but refused to pledge he would not raise taxes to pay for the rebates he says he wants to "hard wire" into the system.
"Rebates are the right way to go," Corzine, the Democrats" choice for governor, said at a small gathering of supporters.
Corzine placed the blame of rising property taxes on the 606 school districts, 566 municipalities, 186 fire districts and 21 counties in the state, but laughed off suggestions that consolidation was the answer to the spending problems in the Garden State.
"There is an administrative excess in New Jersey," Corzine said. "But that doesn"t mean we have to give up on home rule."
Instead, Corzine promised to increase property tax rebates in 10-percent increments over the next four years if he is elected governor in November.
"We"ll give them [rebates] to the people who need it most first," Corzine said.
Corzine's plan would boost the average homeowners" rebate to more than $900 from the current $624. The increase would be even more dramatic for seniors and those making under $19,000 a year. They would get back $1,750 under Corzine's plan, up $550 from the current $1,200. Those earning more than $200,000 a year would get back nothing under Corzine's plan.
"The overwhelming reality is rebates can balance out a very unfair tax burden, particularly against seniors, particularly against those of low and moderate incomes, which I think the state is really, really putting the squeeze on," Corzine said.
The two Republican front-runners assailed the plan as bad for New Jersey.
"Corzine has presented a Florio-McGreevey style plan with a $7.5 billion price tag for the citizens of New Jersey and no guarantee of tax relief," said Doug Forrester, the Republican front-runner in Tuesday's GOP primary contest according to polls. "When Democrats talk about taxes, New Jersey citizens have learned to take cover."
Forrester has presented a property tax relief plan that he says can be constitutionally guaranteed to provide a 30-percent cut in the property tax price tag for the state's residents over three years. That plan is said to cost the state $2.7 billion to implement.
"Seven and a half billion dollars in new spending, coupled with the fact that he refuses to sign a "no new tax" pledge," Forrester said. "That is a scary combination. New Jersey cannot afford that."
Forrester's Republican challenger Bret Schundler also found a litany of problems with Corzine's plan.
"Corzine says his plan is accountable, and that he will end the corruption tax at the local level. The guy who put a million bucks in George Norcross" pocket is going to end the corruption tax? The guy who was business partners with Charlie Kushner is going to end the corruption tax? The guy who put his arm around Jim McGreevey and said he was proud that Jim McGreevey was my governor is going to end the corruption tax? Get real!," said Bret Schundler for Governor communications director Bill Pascoe.
Schundler has built his campaign promoting a "Property Tax Revolution," that includes a plan that entails constitutionally guaranteed tax relief funded by new caps on state and local spending.
