2. It is hereby declared to be in the public interest and to be the policy of the State to assist qualified municipalities by facilitating the creation of capital markets structures to fund public improvements or purposes at a reduced cost not otherwise available in the absence of such capital markets structures, particularly for qualified municipalities that are not otherwise able to access the capital markets for such purposes. It is hereby further declared that qualified municipalities are owed millions of dollars annually in unpaid property taxes, and that such uncollected taxes adversely impact qualified municipalities’ ability to timely collect the moneys necessary to meet their operating expeditures and provide for the delivery of necessary government services, amplifying the risk of future real property tax increases and negatively impacting those taxpayers who timely remit payment. It is hereby further declared that limited means exist for qualified municipalities to expedite the collection of delinquent taxes, that as a result, such delinquencies often remain unpaid, and that the assignment sale of the tax liens related to such delinquent taxes will enable qualified municipalities to expedite the receipt of anticipated revenues and provide a funding source that will enable such qualified municipalities to more effectively carry out their public purposes. Accordingly, one of the purposes of this act is to authorize, create and establish a corporation empowered to acquire from a qualified municipality all or a portion of the qualified municipality’s tax liens. Additional purposes of this act are: to authorize the sale by a qualified municipality of all or a portion of the tax liens to the corporation; to authorize the transfer to and the receipt by the corporation of the tax liens; to authorize the corporation to issue securities of the corporation for the purposes authorized in this act, payable solely from and secured solely by such portion of the tax liens as the corporation may designate and pledge to secure the securities, together with the investment income thereon and any reserve funds created by the corporation from any portion of the proceeds of the securities; to authorize the corporation to hold and invest the portion of the net proceeds of the sale of the securities pending direction by a qualified municipality and the portion of a qualified municipality’s tax liens sold to the corporation which are not pledged to secure securities of the corporation; to authorize the corporation to acquire, hold, operate, maintain, improve and dispose of real and personal property; and to authorize the corporation to manage the portion of the net proceeds of the sale of the securities pending direction by a qualified municipality and all or a portion of a qualified municipality’s tax liens sold to the corporation for the purposes and in the manner authorized in this act.

L.2003,c.120,s.2.