TRENTON, NJ – Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco has accused Governor Murphy of politicizing the ANCHOR Property Tax Relief payments, alleging that the timing of the payments is aimed to sway voters ahead of the upcoming general election. The first round of payments were recently deposited, with paper checks to be mailed by November 1st, just six days before the election.
“I fully support making New Jersey more affordable for homeowners, but the timing of the ANCHOR relief payments from the Murphy administration is nothing more than a gimmick,” said Bucco (R-25). He emphasized that what homeowners need is a “permanent solution to our crippling highest in the nation property taxes, not a one-time rebate delivered in the weeks leading up to an election.”
Bucco pointed out that Republicans had offered a comprehensive, long-term solution to alleviate New Jersey’s property tax burden during the last budget cycle, but the proposal was rejected by Democrats. “As a result, money that could have been used to lower property taxes is being devalued by inflation while residents are forced to settle for breadcrumbs from the Murphy administration,” Bucco added.
New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the United States, a point underscored by Bucco as he criticized the Murphy administration’s approach to tax relief. “Governor Murphy and Treasury could have delivered these payments over the summer, but instead waited until it was politically convenient for Democrats,” he said.
According to Bucco, what New Jersey homeowners truly need are permanent solutions that offer lasting relief from the state’s exorbitant property taxes. “Homeowners deserve more than temporary tax relief offered at the whim of the Governor; they need permanent solutions to New Jersey’s property tax system that helps lower New Jersey’s ever-rising cost of living,” he concluded.
