NJ congressman continues fight to restore SALT

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. (PIX11) – You won’t find many towns in New Jersey with higher property taxes than Ridgewood.

“It is not uncommon for somebody to be paying $25,000 or $30,000 a year in property taxes,” said Ridgewood Mayor Paul Vagianos.

Around 15 months from now, many New Jerseyans could see a reprieve stemming from the federal level.

“When it comes to restoring SALT, the state and local tax deduction, and getting tax cuts for our hard-working Jersey families, the fight is just beginning,” said U.S. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat representing New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District.

In 2017, Congress passed a salt deduction cap, limiting the amount taxpayers can write off for state and local taxes to $10,000. That cap is set to expire at the end of next year.

Visiting Ridgewood on Monday, Gottheimer expressed his continued support for fully restoring SALT.

“We have to bring the full salt shaker back and give families a tax cut,” said Gottheimer.

Gottheimer launched a soft comment portal on his website for residents to share why SALT matters to them. The responses will be collected and used in a report made by his office.

Attorney and former state legislator John Wisniewski serves clients in property tax appeals.

“Many people come to see me because they feel like they’re paying too much and because they’ve lost that deduction, so they believe that one way to address it is by filing property tax appeals,” said Wisniewski. “In many cases it doesn’t work out, but it underscores how this issue touches so many New Jersey families.”

SALT is a deduction that has been active for more than a century.

“The real issue in this national debate is that more conservative-leaning legislators have that they feel like they are underwriting New Jersey by allowing this deduction,” said Wisniewski. “The fact is that it’s a deduction for all 50 states.”

Gottheimer said residents have until Oct. 4 to submit their comments.

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