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This Week in NJ - February 2nd, 2024
Anchor Program Distributes Historic Property Tax Relief to More Than 1.8 Million Ó£»¨ÊÓƵans
Over $2.1 billion was distributed to more than 1.8 million Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ homeowners and renters during the most recent ANCHOR program, making it the single largest property tax relief program in State history.
The most recent filing season for the Affordable Communities for Homeowners and Renters program - or ANCHOR - covered the 2020 tax year. To date, more than 1.2 million homeowners received benefits totaling over $1.8 billion, and around 579,000 renters received benefits totaling over $278 million. Benefits ranged from $450 to $1,750 depending on income and age, among other factors; qualifying homeowners and renters over age 65 were eligible for an additional $250.
Compared to the first ANCHOR season covering the 2019 tax year, over 200,000 more taxpayers received a benefit for the 2020 season, breaking down to more than 60,000 homeowners and more than 141,000 renters.
The amount of benefits paid out through 2020 ANCHOR season surpassed the 2008 Homestead Rebate program, which previously held the record for most dollars distributed through a property tax relief program ($2.08 billion).
“Together with our partners in the Legislature, and through the non-stop efforts of Treasury’s Division of Taxation, we have delivered roughly $2 billion to hardworking homeowners and renters for the second consecutive year,” said Governor Murphy. “As the most ambitious property tax relief program in Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ history, ANCHOR is helping to make Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ more affordable for nearly two million households who need and deserve this relief.”
“I’d like to thank the hardworking staff at the Division of Taxation for devoting countless hours to processing applications and distributing benefits to nearly two million Ó£»¨ÊÓƵans,” said State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio. “A program of this magnitude is an enormous undertaking, but the Division of Taxation worked diligently to ensure eligible homeowners and renters received this crucial property tax relief at a time when many residents need it most.”
“The ANCHOR program continues to provide direct tax relief with financial assistance that helps ease the burden of property taxes,” said Senate President Nick Scutari. “We are providing the highest level of property tax relief in history for homeowners and renters throughout the state. The success of the program reflects our ongoing commitment to affordability for the residents of Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ.”
Governor Murphy, AG Platkin Announce Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ Has Filed Scotus Brief to Protect Access to Reproductive Medications
Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced that Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ joined the amicus brief, led by the State of New York, in support of the FDA and Danco Laboratories in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Food and Drug Administration, et al., v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, which threatens to restrict or eliminate access to reproductive medications, like mifepristone, that have been the standard of care for most abortions and miscarriage management.
“I want to thank Attorney General Matt Platkin and his office for leading the charge with our New York neighbors against the activists who want to control what should be a deeply personal, individual decision,” said Governor Murphy. “My administration has worked tirelessly to ensure that Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ remains a bastion for the fundamental right to make one’s own reproductive choices. This includes protecting access to medications, like mifepristone, which have proven to be a safe and effective, medically-tested reproductive option for years.”
“Going backwards in time and limiting access to medication abortion is contrary to evidence-based healthcare,” said Attorney General Platkin. “I, and other attorneys general across the nation, urge the Supreme Court to reject this baseless attack on reproductive care. And I thank Governor Murphy for his leadership on this issue, so that reproductive decisions can be made where they belong: between patients and doctors.”
The Murphy Administration has been at the forefront of the fight to protect reproductive rights and expand access to reproductive health care. For example, the Board of Medical Examiners and Board of Pharmacy are finalizing procedures to remove barriers to a number of crucial family planning tools to make them even more accessible at pharmacies. An overview of recent administration actions can be found here.
Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ has also joined several other amicus briefs in this litigation already. In 2022, Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ signed on to an amicus brief opposing plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction to enjoin FDA approval of mifepristone for medication abortion (# 22-171). Last year, Ó£»¨ÊÓƵ signed on to amicus briefs supporting the federal government’s application for an emergency stay in the Fifth Circuit and supporting the federal government’s request for emergency relief in the U.S. Supreme Court (# 23-057), and signed on to an amicus brief supporting the FDA and Danco in their Fifth Circuit appeal of the district court’s decision (# 23-070), as well as their petition for cert to the Supreme Court (# 23-283).