NEWARK, NJ - Newark will soon stop absorbing a 2.25% convenience fee when residents pay property taxes, water bills and other municipal charges with credit or debit cards in-person at city hall.

The city previously paid those convenience fees when bills were paid in-person at the cashier’s window in the tax office. Those convenience fees added up to $1.2 million in 2018, according to city Tax Collector Ernest Turner.

“[Turner] also points out that Jersey City, Paterson, East Orange, and Orange do not accept credit cards for in person payments and he believes other municipalities have similar rules,” said city spokesman Frank Baraff.

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The cashier's window will only accept cash, check and money orders beginning Aug. 1. Residents who pay in person will still have the option of using an electronic check, which costs 99 cents.

Residents did not respond warmly when the city on Tuesday announced the new changes on its Facebook page.

Residents already pay a 2.25% convenience fee when they pay bills online with a credit or debit card, Baraff added.

Jersey City Assistant Tax Collector Anthony Esposito told TAPinto Newark that residents there can’t pay property taxes in-person with a credit or debit card. Residents can only pay with a check in-person and the convenience fee is absorbed by the taxpayer when they pay online.





“The only way they can pay with a debit or credit card is on the internet," he said.

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