Time and time again the citizens of New Jersey hear the rhetoric of politicians about how they are going to lower property taxes. Yet year after year the problem lingers, and election after election those same politicians promise to fix the evil — high property taxes — that they still have not tackled.

There are myriad options that can be taken to alleviate this burden on the taxpayers of this state, but for whatever reason the problem goes untouched. Local budgets are left to depend on property taxes as their lifeline. In the wake of a poor economy, action must be taken.

First, municipalities must stop blaming Trenton for all their ills. Mayors and committee members must scrutinize their budgets and decide what is necessary and what is a luxury, and then make cuts. They must make do until enough support can be rallied in the Legislature to take action.

On the state level, changes in how property taxes are calculated are needed. We can no longer afford to have a regressive system — a tax that taxes the low-income people more heavily as a proportion of income. Taxes should be tied to how much money a family earns. Currently, those in the lowest income bracket are paying three times more in taxes, percentage-wise, than the wealthiest citizens of this state.

Our dependence on property taxes to fund education needs to be reduced. The difference could be picked up by the state, which could make up the money from an increase in the income tax for the most affluent households. These are not the people feeling the strain of property taxes, and it would loosen the belt on the middle- and lower-income families.

Polling has shown that a majority of residents would support such an increase if that money went to education and lowered their property tax. Other areas where the state could get the money could be from tax increases such as on gasoline.

Another step that should be taken would be to freeze property taxes for seniors. Many live on fixed incomes and simply cannot afford the current property taxes that are imposed on them.

The state does, however, provide a few property tax relief programs, but they must be run better. These programs must be targeted to help those who are affected the hardest.

Alas, for any of this to materialize, there must be a restructuring of our state constitution. There is currently a bill in the Legislature (A-540) calling for a constitutional convention that would focus solely on the property tax matter. As citizens we can play a role by demanding that this bill becomes a reality.

It is time that action be taken on this matter. The solutions are there and the means to carry them out exist. We just need a few brave souls to see them through.

Jonathan R. Boguchwal

Manalapan