Category Archives: Politics

So long and thanks for all the fish

Posted on April 24, 2018 by grim

From CNBC: Tax bill will slash by half the number of homeowners using the mortgage deduction The number of homeowners who will benefit from the mortgage tax break is expected to plummet this year by more than half, according to … Continue reading →

Posted in Mortgages, National Real Estate, Politics | 262 Comments

It’ll sit empty for decades…

Posted on March 30, 2018 by grim

From the Record: Toys R Us collapse creates large corporate office vacancy in Wayne The collapse of Toys R Us has placed a big question mark on a large tract of forested woodland in the heart of Wayne. Toys R … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Development, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics | 100 Comments

NJ Pension on Track! … to be fixed in 30 years.

Posted on March 29, 2018 by grim

From the Star Ledger: Have New Jersey’s pension woes finally bottomed out? ould it be true? Is New Jersey’s pension fund for public workers — among the worst-funded in the nation — really on the road to recovery? That’s what … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Humor, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics | 121 Comments

Oh boy…

Posted on March 27, 2018 by grim

From the Star Ledger: Will Phil Murphy veto giving police and fire unions control of their pensions? The state Legislature passed legislation Monday handing control of the pension fund for New Jersey’s police and firefighters over to its members. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics | 61 Comments

Low taxes, but not really.

Posted on March 12, 2018 by grim

For most of these towns, there are some pretty sizable factors that keep taxes low, but are largely irrelevant for the rest of NJ. From the Star Ledger: Here are the 30 N.J. towns with the lowest property taxes Last … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics | 46 Comments

So they aren’t moochers?

Posted on March 10, 2018 by grim

From the APP: Don’t blame NJ’s high taxes on ‘Moocher states’: Malanga Last year’s federal tax reform act has prompted a lot of hand wringing and hyperbolic language from New Jersey officials over the loss of the state and local … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Property Taxes | 40 Comments

NJ fights back on business taxes, then taxes business

Posted on March 7, 2018 by grim

From the Star Ledger: We’ve got sure-fire plan to save small businesses from Trump tax law, N.J. lawmakers say New Jersey lawmakers who are already offering up a scheme to save homeowners the state and property tax deduction gutted by … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics | 97 Comments

And they think this charitable contribution scheme has a chance?

Posted on March 6, 2018 by grim

From the Star Ledger: IRS action on prepaid property taxes slammed as ‘naked political payback’ against N.J. New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. and other Democrats on Monday accused the Internal Revenue Service of “naked political payback” for refusing to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Property Taxes | 89 Comments

Who is to blame?

Posted on March 4, 2018 by grim

From the Star Ledger: Trump trying to block funding for Gateway Tunnel project President Donald Trump is trying to block federal funding for the Gateway Tunnel project even though the House has already allocated $900 million for it, according to … Continue reading →

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, NYC, Politics | 34 Comments

Will it work?

Posted on March 1, 2018 by grim

From Bloomberg: New Jersey Senate Passes Charitable Tax Workaround New Jersey residents might be able to avoid federal deduction limits on property taxes by converting them to a charitable contribution under a proposal the state Senate approved Feb. 26. S.B. … Continue reading →

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Property Taxes | 146 Comments

Fulop – From Darling to Demon

Posted on February 25, 2018 by grim

From the Jersey Journal: Jersey City residents protest tax reval: ‘You’re taking our homes away from us’ Dozens of Downtown residents protested outside City Hall today to call attention to exorbitant tax increases they could see as a result of … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Gold Coast, Politics, Property Taxes | 25 Comments

Governor who?

Posted on February 21, 2018 by grim

From NJ Spotlight: SWEENEY FORGES AHEAD WITH STATE TAX POLICY REVIEW, NO INPUT FROM MURPHY TEAM Major changes to the federal tax code recently enacted in Washington, D.C. may have significant and unexpected impact on the state economy, according to … Continue reading →

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Property Taxes | 67 Comments

NJ’s tax scheme … will fail

Posted on February 16, 2018 by grim

From the Star Ledger: Here’s how N.J. lawmakers propose to save your property tax break The state Senate began its work Thursday devising a way to prevent New Jersey taxpayers from losing a popular property tax break as a result … Continue reading →

Posted in New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Property Taxes | 167 Comments

Net net … nothing?

Posted on February 9, 2018 by grim

From the Washington Post: Predictions of a crash in housing prices have not come true Were fears overblown that changes to the federal tax law would trigger plunging home values? You might recall the scary predictions that began coming last … Continue reading →

Posted in Demographics, Economics, Employment, Housing Recovery, Politics | 213 Comments

Taxing to fix the tax problem

Posted on January 26, 2018 by grim

From City Journal: New Jersey’s Tired Tax Tricks “New Jersey needs tax reform to guarantee relief from soaring taxes.” That was the plea Brendan Byrne, a Democratic former governor of the Garden State, made 43 years ago to a group … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, New Jersey Real Estate, Politics, Property Taxes | 157 Comments