New Jersey Farm Bureau News

Open space is precious in New Jersey, and most residents understand the importance of preserving it. Voters are so sensitive to the need that they have repeatedly approved tax-hike proposals on local, county and state levels to assure money remains available to secure available land.

So it’s quite likely that New Jerseyans would support a new plan designed to establish a stable, long-term funding source for open space. The proposal has bipartisan backing, spearheaded by Democratic Sen. Bob Smith and Republican Sen. Christopher “Kip” Bateman, and it involves no new money. Instead, a small percentage of corporate business tax revenue that already goes to environmental programs would be redirected toward preservation. An estimated $71 million a year would become available in the first five years — still far below past expenditures. The Senate has overwhelmingly approved a ballot question for a constitutional amendment to enable the plan.

Click here to read the rest from mycentraljersey.com

The front page of yesterday’s Star-Ledger featured a piece about a Fairleigh Dickinson/PublicMind Poll showing that most New Jerseyans plan to flee the state once they retire. The main reason given was our state’s high costs and taxes.

That was no surprise to me. Over the weekend, I’d attended an alumni event at my old high school. I got talking to a guy who sold his house last year and escaped to Key West. The property taxes on his place there are half what he used to pay here. The income tax? Florida doesn’t have one.

Click here to read more from Star Ledger columnist Paul Mulshine.