ACLG weekly flyer

To: Senator Madden, Assemblyman Moriarty, Assemblywoman Mosquera

American Citizens Lobbyist Group

New Jersey
Monday, March 27, 2014

On Mon., 3.17.14 The Senate Environment and Energy Committee will introduce new open space legislation with Bill SCR84 to amend the constitution to dedicate 6% in corporate tax revenues for open space from FY ’16-FY ’45

VOTE NO

SCR84 (SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 84)

Amends Constitution to dedicate 6% of Corporation Business Tax revenues from FY2016 to FY2045 for open space, farmland, and historic preservation; ends dedication of 4% of Corporation Business Tax revenues for environmental programs; dedicates natural resource damages and environmental fine revenue to underground storage tank programs and State-funded hazardous discharge cleanups.

It seems to us “We the People” that you all should be proposing bills and resolutions that result in true fiscal responsibility.

To siphon off additional money from the States revenue and earmark it for unknown and unnecessary land purchases makes no sense.

The state already owns 15% of the land of New Jersey. Using our resources to retire our debt would be a more fiscally sound policy at this time.

According to the state’s Green Acres program website, "more than 1.2 million acres of open space and farmland have been preserved in communities across the state."

Let’s put this number in perspective. New Jersey has preserved 1,875 square miles of open space — an area nearly the same size as the state of Delaware.

The NJ Constitution, per Article VIII, Section II, now calls for 4% of the Corporation Business Tax to be dedicated to space preservation and hopefully necessary environmental water and waste hazard situations. This increase from 4% to 6%, a fifty per cent increase by the way, does not meet the smell test. That increased deduction from our revenue could be better used to retire our debt and our unfunded pension mandates.

This compares to a family that is putting away $500 per month to save for a dream summer house at the Jersey shore at the same time that they have huge credit card debt and can barely cover the minimum payments not to mention the rising cost of fuel and food.

We need to get real in Trenton. You already have 4% per cent why are you wasting our time asking for a ballot proposal to get another 2%.

American Citizens Lobbyist Group-NJ
Basil Mantagas, NJ Director, 646-825-0776, bmantagas.aclg@gmail.com
3.17.14 , space acquisition, SCR84