TRENTON — A paper released today by a left-leaning think tank said a proposal from Gov. Chris Christie to cap property tax increases at 2.5 percent a year would likely reduce “essential educational programs and services” while failing to address the root cause of high property taxes. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities wrote the paper as a...
Governor Chris Christie speaks during a town hall meeting in Robbinsville last week.
TRENTON — A paper released today by a left-leaning think tank said a proposal from Gov. Chris Christie to cap property tax increases at 2.5 percent a year would likely reduce “essential educational programs and services” while failing to address the root cause of high property taxes.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities wrote the paper as a response to an analysis by the right-leaning Manhattan Institute for Policy Research that said a cap would not harm the quality of public education, which is funded largely by property taxes.
The center said statewide education policies and targeted funding in Massachusetts — used by Christie as a model for his proposal — have allowed its test scores to remain high, but schools increased class sizes and cut art, music, foreign languages and athletics. Meanwhile, the report said the Bay State policy of restricting tax increases to 2.5 percent annually caused other problems, “from deteriorating roads to poorly lit streets to longer police and fire response times.”
“A state desiring to lower property taxes can figure out the reasons its property taxes are higher than it would like and make specific policy changes to lower costs when it is possible to do so without undermining public services,” the report said.
The 2.5 percent cap is the centerpiece of Christie’s plan to stem the rise of property taxes, which rose 3.3 percent this year to a statewide average of $7,300. To help municipalities deal with rising costs, Christie also proposed changes to arbitration and civil service rules that would give towns more power over public worker unions.The Manhattan Institute analysis said Massachusetts spends 20 percent less per student while scoring about the same or better than New Jersey on national tests. The CBPP report attributed that to New Jersey spending more on special education students and educating more of them.
As an alternative, the report, written by Iris Lav, said the state should consolidate school districts and municipalities — one of the top complaints about New Jersey’s government structure. The report warns a cap could prevent towns and school districts from consolidating and sharing services, because mergers – which could include building joint facilities – could initially be expensive.
In addition, the report said the state should give property tax refunds to people based on their income, and make sure the tax relief is well publicized.
The Republican governor has been traveling around the state promoting the idea for the tax cap, which he wants passed as a constitutional amendment. To have it on the ballot by November, the Democratic-controlled Legislature would have to pass it with a three-fifths majority by early August.