State officials say many eligible taxpayers have not yet applied for a tax rebate through the ANCHOR program, with an already-extended deadline set for Feb. 28.
According to the latest state figures, postcards were mailed to 8,287 homeowners in Belleville the state believes may be eligible for the program. Only 3,815 homeowners filed as of Jan. 18, leaving a potential pool of 4,472 Belleville homeowners — or 54% of all eligible homeowners — who are entitled to a rebate of up to $1,500, but have yet to register.
Meanwhile, the state mailed postcards to 6,057 tenants in Belleville, of which 1,800 have filed for benefits so far. That leaves approximately 4,257 eligible tenants from Belleville who could be losing a $450 rebate, under assumptions from the state Treasury Department.
Belleville Mayor Michael Melham is working with Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-28, to spread the word about the impending deadline. They are hosting a joint event Thursday, Feb. 9, at the Belleville Senior Citizens Recreation Center, 125 Franklin Ave., from 2-6:30 p.m., to guide residents through the process.
If you owned or rented your main residence in New Jersey on Oct. 1, 2019 and met the income requirements, you qualify for property tax relief under the ANCHOR program. But you need to apply by the Feb. 28 deadline.
“As so many Belleville residents have yet to register, it is critical you share this information with your friends and neighbors,” Melham said. “Every single eligible Belleville household should receive this rebate; we all just need to apply.”
Homeowners with income of $150,000 or less will receive $1,500, while homeowners with income of more than $150,000 and up to $250,000 will receive $1,000. Renters with income of $150,000 or less will receive $450.
The state is planning to pay ANCHOR benefits in late spring in the form of direct deposit or check to eligible applicants. ANCHOR replaced the state’s Homestead rebate program.
Learn more at anchor.nj.gov.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.