New Jersey’s average residential property-tax bill rose 2.2 percent last year to an all-time high of $8,161, slightly exceeding governor Chris Christie’s 2 percent cap on growth in the levies, according to state data.
The average homeowner paid $173 more than in 2013. The state’s real-estate taxes are the nation’s highest, and their unpopularity helped Christie oust Democrat Jon Corzine in 2009.
New Jersey doesn't score well on economic pressures facing future retirees, based on a report by the National Institute on Retirement Security.
Kevin Roberts, a spokesman for Christie, didn’t return a phone call or e-mail seeking comment.
Christie, 52, a second-term Republican, instituted the cap in 2010. Local real estate levies are the prime funding source for towns and schools in New Jersey.
Property taxes have increased 75 percent since 2001, when the bills averaged $4,661, according to data from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.