September 23, 2009
Star-Ledger Interviews Tax Foundation Senior Economist Gerald Prante on NJ Property Taxes
"Jerseyans are pinched hardest to pay property taxes"
By Lisa Fleisher
New Jersey homeowners put 7 percent of their paychecks toward property taxes in 2008 -- the highest in the country, a tax group said yesterday.
The state, with the highest property taxes in the nation, is home to six of the nation's 10 most expensive counties, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit group that analyzed Census data released this week. But last year was better for New Jersey than 2007, when the state claimed seven of the top 10 spots.
"You have high government spending at the local level," said Gerald Prante, senior economist with the foundation in Washington, D.C. "New Jersey spends a lot on education, for example. You can ask yourself, do you get what you pay for?"
