9th District Delegation Calls For Property Tax Relief As State Tax Collections Increase

TRENTON, NJ — The 9th Legislative District Delegation is calling for increased state tax collections to be used for property tax relief programs in New Jersey, saying the money should help reduce the cost of living for residents.

The push follows an announcement that state tax collections increased by 6.4 percent during the 13-month period from July 2025 to July 2026, a gain of $3.194 billion compared with the previous 13-month period.

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In May, Sen. Carmen Amato Jr., Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblyman Gregory Myhre introduced legislation, S-4306/A-5093, that would make permanent an additional $250 property tax relief benefit for senior citizen homeowners and tenants under the ANCHOR Property Tax Relief Program. According to the announcement, that $250 senior ANCHOR benefit was eliminated in the new FY2027 state budget.

The announcement also said many seniors have seen cuts to NJ Stay checks or have been made ineligible for the program because of provisions in the state budget. The 9th District Delegation voted against that budget, according to the announcement.

In a joint statement, Amato, Rumpf and Myhre said, "Taxpayers, not Trenton, should be benefiting from increased tax collections."

"Unquestionably, this money should be returned to taxpayers who are struggling to pay property taxes, electric bills and groceries," the delegation said.

The lawmakers tied their argument to recent changes in senior relief programs. In the same statement, they said, "Cuts to the ANCHOR and NJ Stay programs have hit seniors most severely."

"At the very least, the increased tax collections should restore funding to property tax relief programs on which seniors rely to make ends meet," the delegation said.

The joint statement also criticized broader state spending.

"After recently passing a record-setting $61.75 billion State budget, Trenton does not need any more tax revenue to provide services to illegal immigrants, bail out another mismanaged city as it did with Jersey City, fund political pet projects or expand the state bureaucracy," Amato, Rumpf and Myrhe said.