Farmers, Volunteer Emergency Workers, and Tech Investors in Line for Tax Breaks

By Paige Britt, Madison Miller, and Victoria Gladstone, NJ State House News Service

One bill, S-2200, would give tax breaks to commercial farmers who channel fresh fruit and vegetables to food banks and other charities during a multiyear pilot program. Farmers who donate surplus produce could see their tax liability fall by up to $5,000 a year.

As much as 13% of the population in some parts of New Jersey experiences food insecurity, according to 2022 state health department data. 

At least a dozen states, including New York and California, offer farmers and distributors incentives, according to a 2022 report by the National Gleaning Project, which encourages the delivery of surplus produce to populations in need. 

Emergency volunteers

A second bill, S-2386, approved by the Senate panel, would allow volunteer firefighters and first-aid squad members to seek reimbursement for using their personal vehicles to respond to calls. The bill would apply the IRS standard mileage rate, currently. Volunteers could receive a maximum of $500, so long as their organizations certified a certain number of duty hours or percentage of call response 70 cents per mis. 

Some parts of New Jersey are struggling with dwindling volunteer numbers. Last year, Monmouth County approved spending $5 million to upgrade emergency equipment and recruit volunteers. Short of unpaid fire staff, Winslow Township said it would close three of its five stations by the end of 2024.

The Office of Legislative Services estimates that 47,000 New Jersey volunteers would be eligible, at a potential annual cost of $11 million. A 2023 report by the Special Task Force on Volunteer Retention and Recruitment recommended that the state create incentives to boost the ranks of unpaid first responders.

High-tech investment

On the third bill, S-3189, the budget committee supported additional generous Angel Investor Tax Credit Act incentives for emerging technology businesses. The credits would rise to 35% of private investment. A 40% credit would be available to businesses that operate in low-income communities or are women— the current 20% or minority-owned.

From 2013 to 2023, such tech companies created 4,000 jobs and were awarded more than 470 patents, according to Senator Andrew Zwicker, a Democrat from South Brunswick who co-sponsored the bill. 

In a statement, co-sponsor Senator Britnee Timberlake, a Democrat from East Orange, said the legislation would “cement New Jersey as the best state to start a business developing emerging technologies.”

“From breakthrough medical devices to renewable energy and advanced computing technologies, we are pushing the boundaries of what it means to nurture innovation as a state,” Timberlake said.