It is time tax abatements die a natural death. The public told the council they are concerned about the rising cost of Board of Ed taxes but our council, except Fulop, refused to listen.
I was amused when the Jersey City Council members scolded the Board of Ed for not using fiscal controls on the board's budget when our council has never passed a city budget on time. The 2007-2008 still has not been finalized; it should have been in place July 2007.
Abatements are tools that basically hurt the average taxpayer. Abated properties are not added as ratables, and it is ratables that the county uses to strike the budget figure for each town in the county. According to the county's figures, Jersey City paid 9.72 percent more in 2006 than 2005. However Secaucus saw a decrease of -8.9 percent. Development is not abated, so development lowers taxes in Secaucus. For years, Jersey City government has been hurting its own citizens by giving abatements. The tax numbers are available on www.speaknj.com/taxes as a pdf file.
Finally, abatements do hurt taxpayers who must pay Board of Ed taxes. Taxpayers have already experienced an increased of $10 million in the last two years, and more taxes will follow. Jersey City pays 13 percent of the Board of Ed budget while Secaucus pays 91 percent (according to the 2004-2005 numbers). If the State decides to make spending equal, then the middle class, the small homeowner, will be fleeing Jersey City.
Yvonne Balcer
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