No New Jersey Landscaping Tax

 

Legislators in Trenton, N.J. have decided not to approve a tax on landscaping and other services.

A plan that included a tax on landscaping has died due to lack of support in the state’s legislature, the New Jersey Nursery and Landscaping Association reports.

The plan alarmed the state association and grabbed the attention of the Professional Landcare Network, or PLANET. The Washington, D.C.-based group led a lobbying effort and urged members to fax letters opposing the legislation.

At the end of June, the plan included taxes on landscaping, gym memberships and tanning salons. The service taxes were projected to raise $170 million a year.

Taxing landscaping would have raised the price of projects and reduce the number and scope of landscaping projects in the state, opponents argued. Landscapers already pay taxes on supplies and hardware, they noted.

“Luckily our entire assembly is up for reelection… and none of them wanted their name attached to a new tax,” the NJNLA’s Carl Nordstrom said. “So the sales tax for landscaping is dead for now.”