Dear Mr. [redacted]:

As your Representative, I have made it my priority to lower taxes for North Jersey families. In New Jersey, we pay some of the highest taxes in the nation. To make matters worse, the Tax Hike Bill kicked us in the teeth by gutting the State and Local Tax Deduction (SALT), driving taxes up for many in our District by seven percent and, according to Moody’s, sending our state’s property values down by 7.4 percent.

I have been working with local elected officials in New Jersey to fight back by enabling towns and cities to establish charitable funds to pay for everything from public safety to education. Taxpayers who contribute would receive tax credits applied toward their property-tax bills.

But last month, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a massively overreaching rule that would prohibit states like New Jersey from allowing municipalities to use these charitable funds to offer real tax relief to residents.

That’s why I introduced bipartisan legislation with Representative Peter King of New York to fully repeal the Treasury Department’s prejudicial and politically motivated rule. Simply put, Congress didn’t give the IRS permission to interpret the tax law as they see fit. It’s incredibly clear that this rule is aimed at whacking blue states like New Jersey and all of our hardworking, taxpaying families, and we cannot allow them to target us in this manner.

I have heard from cities and towns across the Fifth District that this Treasury regulatory overreach is stopping them from being able to provide actual tax relief for their residents. My resolution aims to provide much needed certainty and, once and for all, give people the tax cuts they need and deserve. Our families and our businesses simply can’t afford tax increases at any level.

As your Representative, my top priority is lowering taxes for Fifth District residents. If you’d like to contact me about this or any other issue, please email me at https://gottheimer.house.gov/contact/. If you would like to receive regular updates from me, please visit https://gottheimer.house.gov/forms/emailsignup/ where you can sign up for my e-newsletter.

Yours,

Josh