Ciesla: Water Tax Is a Terrible Idea

July 1, 2008

Contact: John Gorman / (609) 292-5199
A More Affordable NJ, Senator Andrew Ciesla (R-10)

Supports Protecting Open Space, but New Taxes Are Not the Answer

Senator Andy Ciesla (R-10) criticized a proposal for a new water tax to pay for land that will be preserved as open space:

“We must protect the limited open space we have in New Jersey, ” Ciesla stated. “However, new taxes on residents who are already overtaxed are unnecessary and harmful. We can easily shift money from poorly performing and overfunded programs to pay for open space needs. That some lawmakers are advocating adding a tax to water demonstrates the lack of discipline and creative thinking that has made New Jersey so unaffordable for middle-class families.”

Governor Corzine said yesterday he expects to launch an effort in the Fall to raise more money for the preservation of New Jersey’s open space, farmland and historic sites. One Democratic lawmaker is pitching a plan that would charge 40 cents per 1,000 gallons of water used. The move is designed to raise $150 million a year for open space preservation. Environmentalists estimate it would cost the average household $32 a year.

“We are nickeled and dimed so much that our list of ’small’ taxes now adds up to thousands of dollars a year for the average New Jersey resident, ” Ciesla continued. “The Trenton mentality is not to cut bloated, inefficient or outdated programs even by a few million dollars. It’s so much easier to increase taxes – unless the public makes its voice heard.

“Tough choices need to be made that make New Jersey affordable and reflect the priorities of its residents. We need government to make same kind of smart and tough choices that businesses and families make all the time, ” Ciesla concluded.

Link to Post:

http://www.senatenj.com/index.php/ciesla/ciesla-water-tax-is-a-terrible-idea/589