September 28, 2009
Philadelphia Inquirer Features Tax Foundation State Business Tax Climate Index, Property Tax Data, in Lead Editorial
"Editorial: Jersey leads the tax field"
By Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board
Gov. Corzine and his Republican rival, Christopher J. Christie, don't seem to agree on much as the gubernatorial race lurches through its inevitably ugly last days. But they both support property-tax rebates.
It's probably no coincidence that the Tax Foundation just "awarded" New Jersey yet another No. 1 ranking on its list of the nation's most burdensome property levies. No matter how many such prizes the state accumulates, its leaders remain fiercely loyal to policies that have failed to solve the problem. ...
Another report by the Tax Foundation last week found New Jersey has the nation's most hostile tax climate for business. That takes into account corporate, income, sales, and property taxes.
Unlike some of the other states with high taxes on property, New Jersey has high taxes on virtually everything else, too. New Hampshire, for instance, has high property taxes, but it collects no sales tax and only minimal income taxes. But New Jersey has the country's fifth-highest top income-tax rate, and only California has a higher state sales-tax rate.
