Garden State Times

Senate Republican leaders in New Jersey have notified Governor Murphy of their intention to pursue legal action if the upcoming budget continues what they describe as unconstitutional use of taxpayer money meant for property tax relief. The group, including Senate Republican Leader Anthony M. Bucco, Senate Republican Budget Officer Declan O’Scanlon, Senate Republican Whip Michael Testa, Senator Doug Steinhardt, and Senator Carmen Amato, Jr., sent a letter to the governor expressing their concerns.

The senators argue that recent budgets have improperly allocated income tax revenue based on political favoritism rather than adhering to a constitutionally mandated formula. They assert this practice violates the New Jersey Constitution's requirement that all income tax revenue be used exclusively for property tax relief through a formula.

The letter states: “Recent New Jersey State budgets have been appropriating income tax revenue to named beneficiaries based on naked political favoritism and outside of the pretense of any formula whatsoever—much less one that is reasonable or fair. This has clearly violated the New Jersey Constitution, which requires all income tax revenue to be appropriated based on formula for property tax relief."

Since 1976, the state constitution mandates that income tax revenues be placed in the Property Tax Relief Fund (PTRF) and used solely for reducing or offsetting property taxes according to legislative formulas. The senators warn that if the next budget proposal repeats these alleged abuses and is supported by the legislature, they will initiate litigation with affected schools, municipalities, and taxpayers.