N.J. Stat. § 40A:9-145
Any person who has held or shall have held the office of tax collector in any municipality for a continuous period of not less than 5 years or who shall be reelected or reappointed to said office upon the completion of one full term of 4 years, upon filing, on or before December 31, 1981 with the clerk of the municipality and with the Division of Local Finance in the Department of Community Affairs a certificate evidencing his satisfactory completion of a course of instruction in the functions and duties of tax collectors approved by the Division of Local Finance as said division shall by regulation provide, shall thereafter continue to hold such office during good behavior and shall not be removed therefrom except for good cause shown after a fair and impartial hearing, notwithstanding that said person was appointed or elected for a fixed term.
The term "tax collector" as used herein shall be construed to mean and include the official charged with the duty of collecting taxes upon real and personal property in each municipality.
N.J.S. § 40A:9-145