Residents and businesses in one of the highest taxed states in the U.S. could be facing a new tariff because of rain, reports CBS New York.
The New Jersey stormwater utility legislation, already passed by lawmakers and awaiting Gov. Phil Murphy's signature, permits local counties and municipalities the power to establish stormwater utilities and collect a tax from large properties with large paved surfaces such as parking lots.
"With all the salt that we've had on roads recently, that's all running into the sewer systems – so you can't ignore problems because they dont go away," Senate President Steve Sweeney said.
Republicans, who dubbed it the "rain tax," say the legislation is an unfair burden.
"Adding to its reputation as the worst tax environment in the country, New Jersey is poised to tax – the rain," said GOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt in a press release. "For little more than having a roof over your head, a driveway to your house, or a sidewalk in your yard, Democrats in Trenton see dollars in your rain drops and they want to collect them, in buckets.
"[Steve] Sweeney and [Craig] Coughlin's 'Rain Tax' is the latest in a series of hidden, Democratic taxes aimed at padding Trenton's pockets and punishing New Jersey's families, all the while claiming they understand your burden and feel your pain, but they don't."
New Jersey has a property tax burden of 5.12 percent, third-highest in the U.S.
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