Warning, warning New Jersey tax payers- The Rain Tax is coming. Yes I said a tax on rain!

Per ROI, “local municipalities and counties will be allowed to create stormwater utilities. The intent and purpose of the legislation is to allow these stormwater management utilities to control the amount of stormwater runoff and pollutants washing into New Jersey’s existing sewer systems and waterways. The legislation also proposes that the stormwater utilities be funded by fees assessed against property owners. The legislation applies to all types of residential, commercial and industrial properties. Although some legislators state that the intent of the legislation is not to assess fees against residential properties, there is not an exception for residential property owners.” Also the “legislation would allow a stormwater utility to “charge and collect reasonable fees and other charges in an attempt to recover (the) stormwater utility’s costs for stormwater management.” As stated in the legislation, “(t)hese fees and other charges could be charged to and collected from the owner or occupant, or both, of any real property from which originates stormwater runoff which directly or indirectly enters the stormwater management system or the waters of the state.” The fees are to be “based on a fair and equitable approximation of the proportionate contribution of stormwater runoff from a real property.” There are, however, allowances for partial fee reductions or credits for any property that maintains or operates a stormwater management system that complies with the state and local stormwater management standards. The legislation further allows for liens to be placed against real property for unpaid fees, similar to unpaid real estate taxes.”

I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a tax to me and it will not result in a reduction of pollutants entering our drinking water. What this is an another tax and it needs to be recalled just like the ‘Toilet Paper‘ tax was during the era of Governor Florio.

There is no reason that makes sense for such a tax. They are literally taxing you for the rain water running off your property and then claiming by doing so that this will prevent drinking water contamination and flooding. Note that you are already paying sewer fees in most cases to your city or municipality to process storm water already. Must sewer systems handle both your waste water and storm water runoff. So this tax is just bullshit and just another money grab.

From NJ.com Assemblyman Wirths stated that “I don’t know if a snow tax is coming next year and I’m not being sarcastic. This is just another tax, a rain tax on the people of New Jersey and I urge my colleagues to vote no on this because it is just never-ending down here.”

I think that the basic idea of this law is truly flawed and as far as the pollution aspect this should be handled by stopping the use of pollutants. Also flooding needs to be addressed by controlling land development on flood prone areas.

That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike