New York, NY —

Governor Chris Christie wants to limit property taxes, and he wants to put it to voters directly. He kicked off his referendum campaign with a stop in Hoboken yesterday.

Governor Christie's number is 2.5. That's the biggest percent increase a town could raise its property taxes, if Christie gets his referendum, and if it passes. The proposed property tax cap comes against a backdrop, he says, of state and local governments taxing too much - and spending even more.

"By percentage this is the worst budget deficit in America, worse than California, worse than Illinois and we needed to take some very bold steps to deal with this", said Christie.

Christie continued to confront the state's teachers union. He said they should accept a wage freeze and begin kicking in one and a half percent of their salary toward for health insurance.

"For a teacher making the average salary of $55,000 a year, that would mean $825 dollars for full family medical, dental and vision coverage. For those of you in the private sector, you understand that this is something that your employers would run to line up and get", said Christie.

Some audience members said they felt Christie's budget cuts fall hardest on the poor and middle class. Resident Ines Garcia-Kinn wants him to re-impose an income tax on the wealthy. It expired earlier this year.

"Why have you dug in your heels in and refused to consider reinstating the tax surcharge on our wealthiest residents in the state if we are talking about shared sacrifice", said Garcia-Kinn.

Christie countered that the Democrats had let the surcharge lapse in the last days of the Corzine Administration, because they preferred to have the issue rather than the revenue.