In our spotlight on Business Report tonight.

It could soon be easier for New Jersey seniors to get their tax relief benefits.

New recommendations issued this week call for streamlining the current application process for benefits starting early next year.

The guidelines come from a task force of experts who are working on the new state NJ property Tax Relief Program, and they're urging the state to do away with the numerous applications that exist in order to take part in different benefits programs.

But even if those changes are made, the report says it won't speed up how quickly those checks are cut because the government needs to upgrade software and other technology to deliver the tax credits directly.

Meanwhile, the task force didn't address exactly how the state will fund the proposed Stay NJ plan after it rolls out in 2026, using roughly $600 million of taxpayer money over the next three fiscal years as our budget and finance writer John Reitmeyer explains.

The program cost is expected to balloon after that to more than $1,000,000,000 and doesn't have a dedicated source of revenue.

The state is really setting aside money now to sort of get up to the level where they can begin to roll out what will be a pretty significant new program starting in the first part of 2026.

And so the state already is planning to spend over 2 billion just on the anchor program in the next fiscal year, the one that starts July one.