Ciattarelli Reaches Out To ‘High-Taxed’ Essex County Homeowners | Newark, NJ Patch – Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County homeowners are among the most heavily taxed in the United States. And Jack Ciattarelli is trying to appeal to them as part of his bid to flip New Jersey’s governor seat in 2021.

It’s no secret that property taxes are one of the biggest gripes in Essex County, which is one of four in New Jersey with median payments that top $9,800, according to a recent study from The Tax Foundation.

The nonprofit pointed out that a high tax bill doesn’t necessarily mean a homeowner is getting ripped off, however – it depends on what you get for the money.

“While no taxpayers in high-tax jurisdictions will be celebrating their yearly payments, it’s worth noting that property taxes are largely rooted in the ‘benefit principle’ of government finance – the people paying the bills are most often the ones benefiting from the services,” researchers stated.

Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman who captured the Republican nomination for governor in the primary election, referenced the foundation’s study in a Wednesday campaign email.

“Do you or someone you know live in Bergen, Essex, Union or Passaic County?” he wrote. “These residents pay among the highest property taxes in the country. In fact, these counties rank among the seven most expensive counties in terms of property taxes nationwide.”

“As governor, I will reform and modernize the tax code so young people can afford to get started and our retirees can afford to stay,” Ciattarelli said. “New Jersey will prosper from more opportunity, and our tax code will function as a magnet for new residents and businesses from neighboring high-tax states.”

“I will also lower your property taxes through comprehensive reform of our broken school funding formula,” he said, adding that a system where 60 percent of state aid goes to just 5 percent of the districts is “unsustainable.”

When it comes to property taxes, where you live in Essex County makes a big difference. According to 2019 state property tax data, the average tax bill in the county ranges from $6,652 in Newark to $24,568 in Millburn/Short Hills.

The average New Jersey property tax bill rose above $9,000 for the first time ever in 2020, according to a February report by NJ Spotlight News.

Since Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, took office in 2018, the average property tax bill has gone up nearly $350. But tax hikes also took place under former governor Chris Christie, a Republican who reached a deal with Legislative Democrats to enact a 2 percent cap on annual property levy increases in 2011.

The average bill was $7,759 in 2011, the first full year of Christie’s tenure. Over the last decade, property tax bills have risen by roughly $1,350 in New Jersey, or just over 17 percent, the report said.

Some pundits and residents in New Jersey have speculated that the state is losing residents as they move away due to high taxes. However, the 2020 census showed that New Jersey’s population grew by about 5.7 percent over the past decade.

Significant growth was reported in Newark, the largest city in the state.