Property tax rebates in jeopardy

Assemblyman Lou Manzo, D-Hudson, stopped in for an editorial board meeting Monday to plug his so-called SMART bill, which would shift some of the school funding burden from property taxes to income taxes. http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060613/NEWS03/606130361&SearchID=73247551488544
Manzo had a lot to say on other topics as well, including the likely fate of Gov. Corzine's proposed sales tax hike, from 6 cents to 7 cents. He says he doesn't believe it has the votes needed for passage, and expects a push in the Legislature to eliminate the property tax rebates instead, a move that would save the state about $1.3 billion - roughly the same amount of revenue a sales tax hike would generate.
Another possible alternative, Manzo said, is extending the sales tax to other goods and services. Everything but food and clothing would be on the table. Doing so could generate more than $2 billion in revenue. New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal think tank, is expected to release a report next week on sales taxes in other states that could generate some momentum for that option.