New Jersey Made a Big, Embarrassing Mistake

The property tax system in New Jersey is one of the most convoluted in the country. Somehow, the state legislatures figure out ways to make it worse.

New Jersey at sunset.

Case in point: the December 2011 edition of the Newark Star-Ledger showed some of the people who owed property taxes. City Hall paid $72,000 to run the list, and it included 11,007 properties.

The warning was clear: Pay your taxes, or we’ll auction off your properties.

There was just one problem – the city had made a big mistake, which resulted in even names like Mayor Cory Booker showing up on the list.

If you ever hear that you are late on your property taxes, we recommend checking to make sure it’s legit. If it is, then you may be able to use a payday loan to make the payment.

After the paper went out, property owners panicked, scrambling for answers. It turned out that Newark legislatures had moved up the date that property taxes were due … without telling anyone about the new due date.

The property owners who didn’t read the paper found out about the new due date as letters came informing them they were late on paying their property taxes. The letters said a lien was about to be placed on their homes.

New Jersey eventually owned up to their mistake. They gave everyone until Dec. 28 to pay what they owed. We are sure Mayor Booker was relieved.