Poll: Many New Jerseyans want to leave state Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 10/17/07
BY JASON METHOD STAFF WRITER Frederick J. Huffenus wants to leave his heart in New Jersey and move to South Carolina. Huffenus, 63, a New Jersey native, is awaiting a heart transplant. When he gets it, the retired Toms River police officer and his wife plan to move south to save money in retirement. "I love New Jersey," Huffenus said. "New Jersey has everything I want. . . . But I want that (financial) peace of mind. You're penalized for living here all your life, you work hard and save all your life, and then you're taxed." Huffenus is among the half of state residents who would like to move out of state, a new Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey newspapers poll shows. The poll comes on the heels of a Rutgers University report last week that confirmed a sharp increase in the number of people leaving the state. That report said the state lost $680 million in tax revenue last year as a result. Huffenus said his son Daniel moved to North Carolina in 1998. He has two other grown children living in New Jersey, and he hopes they move south eventually. "Our concerns are more for our grandchildren, as they try to grow up in this state," Huffenus said. "What kind of jobs would they have to have to afford a house?" Huffenus said he and his wife believe they can get a larger three- or four-bedroom house with $800 in taxes. That compares with their small two-bedroom house in Toms River with $2,200 in taxes. "I can go down there and live comfortably, have my grandchildren visit, and not have to worry about the money," Huffenus said. "Every year you stay here, it gets a little tougher." In the Monmouth/Gannett poll, nearly 60 percent of those who said they wanted to leave New Jersey cited financial issues: property taxes, high cost-of-living, state taxes or housing costs. More than half of adults under the age of 50 and nearly 60 percent of residents earning between $50,000 and $100,000 expressed a desire to leave New Jersey. Of those who want to leave, a little more than half said they were "very likely" to make good on the wish, and more than half said they planned to go before retirement. Top destination choices were Florida (15 percent) and North Carolina (14 percent), while another 21 percent cited other southern or Mid-Atlantic states. Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said the results show that many residents have been actively thinking of moving. "All it takes is a good job offer, a little money set aside, and a lot of people would leave this state," Murray said. "All that holds them is family ties. Those will be strong, but (if) not for that, many people would be voting with their feet." Lawrence J. Cella, 72, of Middletown, a retired bank vice president and former Middletown Township clerk, said he may decide to move if a recent revaluation of properties sends his taxes higher. "If my taxes go up substantially, I may have no choice but to leave the state," Cella said. "Where do all the funds go from all the other taxable sources the casino, the lottery, the tolls?" Cella asked. "Nobody seems to know, and yet we have a Legislature that's talking about raising taxes all the time." The latest Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll was conducted by telephone with 801 New Jersey adults from Sept. 27 to 30. This sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The Monmouth University Polling Institute conducted the poll. Gannett New Jersey Newspapers are the Asbury Park Press, the Courier-Post, the Home News Tribune, the Courier News, the Daily Record, the Daily Journal and the Ocean County Observer. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/