TRENTON, N.J. – Gov. Phil Murphy has increased school funding each year, yet school taxes have increased by over $1.1 billion since he took office. Assembly Republicans fact-check the governor’s claim that more school funding equals lower property taxes in the latest episode of “<Three.”
Reina Smrdelj, a legislative analyst at the Assembly Republican Office, says the truth is simple – more New Jersey taxes, means taxpayers just pay more. Despite a state income tax, higher property taxes and an extra $2.9 billion that Murphy could have used to fully fund schools for the first time in history, nearly a third of the districts in New Jersey lost aid. Property taxpayers paid an average $9,284 in 2021, a $172 increase over the previous year, while school taxes averaged $4,908 – accounting for more than half of the property tax bill.
Watch more videos in the <Three series on the Assembly Republican Office’s YouTube channel.