NJ wants to give you $900 for your pet — fix Stay NJ first

Let me be clear about something before I say a word against this bill: I am an animal lover.

We have always had cats in our house. Over the years we have had dogs too — and when we had dogs, my wife Linda was home full time. We would not leave a dog home alone all day. Dogs need companionship, activity, attention. When our beloved Grace passed away in 2012, our hearts were broken. We never got another dog. Not because the lifestyle changed — though it did — but because losing Grace hurt in a way that we have never fully gotten over. Fourteen years later we are still not over it. That is the real reason. Some losses just stay with you.

We still have cats. We have Clark. He is not fully independent — independent enough, but not fully. He meows loudly when we walk in the door and greets us every time. He also meows when we leave, which we choose to interpret as affection rather than complaint. Then he sleeps all day while we are at work, which we choose not to take personally. We love him unreasonably.

So when I say I think this pet tax credit bill is a waste of Trenton's time, understand it comes from someone who has written checks to veterinarians his whole adult life, grieved a dog for fourteen years, and is currently keeping a cat who has strong opinions about our schedule.

What the bill actually proposes

Assemblyman Alex Sauickie (R-Ocean) introduced Assembly Bill No. 4995 earlier this month. It would provide up to $300 per year for qualified everyday pet expenses — food, crates, leashes, litter boxes, grooming supplies — and up to $600 for veterinary expenses including annual exams, medications and emergency care. Maximum credit: $900 per taxpayer per year. 

On paper it sounds reasonable. Pet ownership costs real money. A 2025 Chewy report found that dog ownership runs anywhere from $1,280 to more than $9,000 per year depending on the size and health of the dog. Nobody is disputing that. 

But here is my problem with it.

SEE ALSO: She did the math on Stay NJ — and $4,000 doesn't save her home 

EJ's late dog Grace after a swim | photo by EJ

Pets are a choice. Aging in New Jersey is not.

I have always believed that owning a pet is a personal financial decision. Before you get a dog or a cat you sit down and ask yourself — can I afford this? Not just the food. The vet bills. The boarding when you travel. The time. The attention. The lifestyle adjustment. If the answer is yes, wonderful. If the answer is no, you wait until the answer changes.

That is not a policy problem. That is a budget conversation you have with yourself.

Meanwhile in Trenton right now, the Senate and Assembly are negotiating a budget that could reduce the Stay NJ property tax relief benefit from $6,500 to $4,000 for seniors who did everything right — paid into the system their whole working lives, stayed in New Jersey when everyone told them to leave, and are now watching Trenton debate whether to honor the promise it made to them.

A reader from Califon in Hunterdon County wrote me about this recently. Military family. Finally eligible for Stay NJ. Property taxes and food eating up 40 percent of her pension. The $6,500 benefit is the number that makes staying in her home possible. The $4,000 cap does not get her there.

Trenton wants to give her a $900 credit for cat food instead.

This bill has no shot — and that is not the point

Assembly Bill 4995 was introduced as a partisan Republican bill and referred to the Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee. It will not become law. Trenton has a Democratic majority, a budget crisis and a June 30 deadline consuming every oxygen molecule in the statehouse. This bill is not getting out of committee. 

And that is the problem with it. Not the policy itself — reasonable people can debate whether pet expenses deserve a tax break. The problem is the timing and the priority signal it sends. A lawmaker introduces a feel-good bill that gets their name in the headlines during a week when seniors are waiting to find out if Trenton will honor a $6,500 promise. The contrast is hard to ignore.

If you want to give New Jersey residents a tax break, here is a list in order of urgency: preserve Stay NJ at $6,500. Give parents a bigger deduction for their children. Fix the property tax structure that is driving families out of this state. Then, when all of that is done, come back and talk to me about the cat food credit.

I will still be here. So will Clark.