A slipshod reform effort

How long do taxpayers have to wait to get some straight answers from Trenton about the much-touted plan to slash property taxes?

It's been three weeks since Senate President Richard Codey and Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts dropped the first public mention of a 20 percent cut for "most" homeown ers. Since then, legislative leaders have been uncharacteristi cally silent about the plan Codey labeled the "most significant step towards property tax reform that I've seen in 30 years" despite the fact that they promised to deliver the package by the end of December.

Gov. Jon Corzine, too, has championed reduced property taxes. Yet, in his first extensive remarks on the plan two weeks ago, he released some air from the lower-property-taxes bal loon.

Long-term relief requires a re curring revenue source, he pointed out, and so far, there is none. He also noted that available resources would determine the size of the relief package and the number of homeown ers likely to benefit. Missing from his comments was any se rious suggestion for finding that money.

So here are a few questions for the leaders in Trenton:

How can you say -- as you did three weeks ago -- that most homeowners will get a 20 percent property tax cut when you haven't been able to put a price tag on it?

How can you promise relief without knowing how to pay for it?

How can you pledge the rewritten school funding for mula will be more equitable and provide more aid to more towns but not be able to produce even an outline of the new distribution plan?

It's irresponsible to trumpet the bottom line without being able to discuss the specifics.

In imposing a year-end deadline for passing the property relief package, Codey and Roberts gave themselves just a month to enact what they've correctly billed as significant tax restructuring. What should be carefully considered legislation is shaping up as a December rush job without adequate public scrutiny.

Legislative leaders wanted to demonstrate that they could come up with solutions to tax problems that have bedeviled governors and legislators since the late'70s and that they could do it quickly.

That's a laudable goal, and the idea of accomplishing it be fore the new year does have a practical aspect. Budget calendars for municipalities and school districts require that state aid figures, which are crucial in calculating property taxes, be released early in the year. Major tax policy changes must be in place before then.

Still, Codey, Roberts and Corzine knew all this six months ago. That's when they announced the special legislative session that would deliver a plan to revise the state's tax structure and revamp the way state and local government operates.

So far, they've delivered only promises. At the last minute, they are trying to cobble together a proposal. That's not an approach to systemic government overhaul that inspires much confidence in the outcome.