Inaction leads citizens to demand tax convention

BY PETER A. CANTU
A large and growing statewide, nonpartisan coalition, which includes government, taxpayer, homeowner, public interest and environmental groups, wants to make property tax reform the No. 1 priority in this year's election. The Coalition for Property Tax Reform hopes to generate grass-roots action to convince the candidates for governor, the candidates for Assembly and our incumbent legislators that they need to take action on a citizens' convention bill.

There have been decades of institutional inattention to the problems imposed on citizens by New Jersey's anachronistic over-reliance on regressive property taxes and inaction on structural property tax reforms. The Legislature's performance in previous special tax reform sessions has been sorrowful. So, we are doubtful that a special session of the Legislature would produce lasting and meaningful reforms.