The Assembly Military and Veterans Affairs Committee passed a bill on Monday creating a property tax rebate for service-disabled veterans with less than a 100% disability rating from the VA. Assemblyman Alex Sauickie, a prime sponsor of the measure, says the relief is needed now more than ever as the average property tax bill is above $10,000. 

“Property tax relief for disabled veterans is an issue that my Republican colleagues and I in the Assembly have long championed, so I am thankful we can finally move it forward in a bipartisan fashion. Our nation’s heroes who are homeowners and renters in New Jersey can no longer afford the increasing burden of the state’s property taxes, which now average over $10,000,” Sauickie (R-Ocean) said. “New Jersey is becoming more unaffordable, and it unfairly impacts our disabled veterans who selflessly served this nation and state.”

Currently, only veterans in the state who have a 100% total and permanent disability rating are exempt from paying property taxes.

The bill (A3169) allows honorably discharged veterans of the Armed Forces with incomes up to $200,000 to receive a property tax rebate proportional to their disability rating. Approximately 68,800 New Jersey veterans would be eligible to receive the benefit next year. 

“Nearly 30% of veterans in New Jersey are living with a disability. This legislation lets them know their sacrifice was not in vain and makes New Jersey a more military-friendly state,” Sauickie (R-Ocean) added. 

The rebate is capped at $5,000. It could be combined with other property tax relief programs including Senior Freeze, ANCHOR, and Stay NJ, under certain circumstances. The application for the rebate would be included on the combined property tax relief application.