Property Taxes Have No limits!

There are no limits to property taxation!  Most taxes have specific limits. Sales tax is a percentage of what you buy.  Income tax is a percentage of what you earn.  Other taxes are based on units such as federal and state  taxes per gallon of gasoline.  The only real limit  to abusive  property  taxes is the politicians' fear of voter reprisal.  Voter turnout for Orange Mayoral and City Council elections typical are less than 10%.  A hand full of  votes can change the course of Orange politics.

 Higher taxes is the penalty a citizens pays for not voting!

Property Taxes Are Unfair

The subject of property taxes  transcends the local Orange NJ problem and is an issue of state and national importance. The property tax system is inherently unfair because it is not based on the ability to pay. A secure home is the foundation of a stable society. The property tax issue at its most fundamental, constitutional level, demands that the power to tax a homeowner out of his home must be removed from government.

Property Taxes Are Arbitrary 

"Assessments", from which your taxes are calculated, should be  based on "Fair Market Value" of the property. In reality it is based on the opinions, self interests, likes and dislikes of assessors, on the instructions of politicians in power -not to mention the fluctuations of the real estate market. No precise, constitutional or statutory limits, expressed in figures, control the upward movement of  "Fair Market Value".   When inflation devalues the currency, when speculators push up the cost of land, politicians increase assessments. When real estate values decline, however,  politicians are very reluctant to decrease assessments accordingly.

Property Taxes are Subject to Corruption and Political Manipulation.

Besides being unfair, property taxes are subject to political manipulation and corruption. The property tax system is one where political responsibility is diffused, accountability is concealed and blame for the ceaseless demands for higher taxes from homeowners is almost impossible to attribute to any single public official.  The New Jersey Legislature has been struggling with this issue for years.  The recent Special Joint Session On Tax Reform recommendations show tax reform stalled in political expediency and held hostage to political special interests. One finding has remained constant, however: absent institutional tax reforms, the only hope that long term property tax relief can be achieved is  through implementation of stricter controls on spending at all levels of government.