Democrats: Christie not doing enough to ease property tax burden on N.J. residents

Gov. Christie is playing with budget numbers to make himself look good and is not doing enough to reduce the property-tax burden on New Jersey residents, Democratic lawmakers said in response to the governor's budget proposal Tuesday.

Christie, a Republican, said he plans to cut the state's income tax 10 percent, a reduction that would be phased in over three years. He also promised to veto any budget that called for a tax increase.

Democrats, who control the Senate and Assembly, say the governor should forgo the income-tax cut and redirect that revenue to offset New Jerseyans' property taxes, a plan they say is fairer. Under Christie's proposal, $7,000 would be saved by a person making $1 million annually in 2013, but a family making $50,000 would see its taxes reduced by only about $70, according to Democrats.

"I know that people in my neighborhood certainly need more than $70," said Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D, Essex). "They need more because their property tax bill went up 20 percent. You find people in working-class towns all across this state who saw $400, $500, $600 increases in their property tax, and $70 doesn't help that."

Democrats chastised Christie as suddenly embracing the higher state revenue estimates they said they foresaw last year. By ignoring their figures, they said, the governor created a fiscal 2012 budget with unnecessarily painful cuts.

"I stood here last year and said, 'I bet you the surplus is larger than he thought,' and it was," said Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester). "Each year he's underestimated a surplus and then comes in like a champ. They play a lot of games with the numbers."

Based on their financial projection, Democrats offered Christie a budget last year that would have provided more for struggling municipalities, Oliver said. Christie cut $900 million from the plan before he would sign it.

"We indicated we could do things like provide $50 million to those municipalities across the state who are having their ranks of police and fire decimated," Oliver said.

Assembly Majority Leader Louis D. Greenwald (D., Camden) scoffed at Christie as taking credit for restoring programs he cut in his first budget as governor.