Governor Christie has pocket vetoed a bill from Senator Jim Whelan to allow Atlantic City’s casinos to pay an annual lump sum in lieu of taxes.

According to politickernj.com, Whelan’s bid to stop tax appeals that have cut into the city’s ratable base will now take a backseat to a

The bill, which saw changes from Christie requiring greater state oversight in how those payments get portioned out to the city, would have had the casinos paying a collective total of at least $120 million a year.

"Governor Christie's veto comes as no surprise," said Harry Hurley, host of the Hurley in the Morning program on WPG Talk Radio 1450. "With the changes requested by the Governor and made by the legislature, the PILOT bill became more unpopular as time went by. Couple that with the pending state takeover of Atlantic City, this gives the Governor and legislature more flexibility to approach the fixing of Atlantic City in a manner of their choosing. The PILOT legislation would have locked casino tax structure in for 15 years. Now they can do exactly what they want in order to address Atlantic City issues."  

Christie's action, or lack there of, on the PILOT legislation was a pocket veto in which he let the bills lapse by not doing anything with them.


Join us tonight at 7:00 for Ask The Mayor with Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian, exclusively on WPG Talk Radio 1450AM and 104.9FM-HD2.
 

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