FDU Poll: NJ voters back pet tax credit, oppose theater alcohol

🐶 A new FDU Poll finds New Jersey voters narrowly support a proposed tax credit for pet owners, including additional help for veterinary expenses.
🍿 Most Garden State voters say "no thanks" to making it easier for movie theaters to sell alcohol, despite arguments it could help struggling cinemas.
📊 The survey offers a fun snapshot of what New Jersey residents are willing to spend tax dollars on — and what they're not.

New Jersey voters warm to pet tax credit, but reject booze at the movies

If there's one thing New Jersey residents seem to agree on, it's that their pets deserve a little love from Trenton. Their popcorn? Maybe not a cocktail.

A new Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll finds Garden State voters narrowly support a proposal that would give pet owners a state tax credit, while a separate proposal to make it easier for movie theaters to sell alcohol is getting a much colder reception.

FDU Poll finds support for New Jersey pet tax credit

The survey found 45% of New Jersey voters support Assembly Bill 4995, while 41% oppose it. The legislation, sponsored by Assemblyman Alex Sauickie, R-Ocean, would provide pet owners with a $300 state tax credit, along with up to an additional $600 to help offset veterinary expenses.

The proposal appears to tap into the growing role pets play in many families.

"Some people do think of their pets as being like children," said Dan Cassino, executive director of the FDU Poll. "So the logic is that if children get a tax credit, pets should as well."

Assembly Bill 4995 would give pet owners a $300 tax credit. (Canva)

Support was slightly stronger among Democrats and younger voters.

Cassino said the appeal may have less to do with tax policy than simple economics.

"There are reasonable questions to be asked about how regressive such a tax break would be," Cassino said. "But people have pets, and people like money, so theories of taxation probably aren't coming into how they're thinking about this."

New Jersey movie theater alcohol proposal falls flat

While pet owners may be getting some sympathy, movie theaters aren't finding the same support.

The poll found just 38% of voters favor legislation that would make it easier for movie theaters to obtain liquor licenses, while 55% oppose the idea.

The proposal, which has already passed the Assembly and is now pending in the Senate, would create a special path for theaters to obtain liquor licenses at a set cost, regardless of whether licenses are otherwise available in a municipality.

Theater operators argue alcohol sales could provide a much-needed revenue boost as attendance continues to lag behind pre-pandemic levels. Opponents, including some restaurant owners, argue the change could devalue liquor licenses that businesses have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to acquire.

Assembly Bill 4666 would allow movie theaters to sell alcohol. (Canva)

Support for the measure did not break along party lines, although middle-aged voters were more likely to back it than older residents.

A snapshot of New Jersey priorities

Neither proposal is likely to rank alongside taxes, affordability or energy costs as one of the state's defining political issues.

New Jersey voters may be open to giving dog owners — and cat owners — a tax break. But when it comes to ordering a beer with the latest blockbuster, most are content to leave that idea on the cutting room floor.