Caps on Mortgage Interest, Property Tax Deductions Included in Republican Tax Reform Package

"Republican lawmakers unveiled the most sweeping rewrite of the tax code in decades on Thursday," report Jim Tankersley, Thomas Kaplan, and Alan Rappeport.

The details of the proposed Republic tax reform package include long-awaited positions regarding the mortgage interest deduction, which the package would cap at $500,000. The package also takes positions on matters of local and state control regarding taxes, which include property taxes:

One of the biggest flash points will be how the bill treats the state and local tax deduction, which lawmakers are proposing to limit to property taxes and cap at $10,000. That will not be enough for Republicans in some high-tax states, where middle-class families make heavy use of the deduction, which currently applies to state and local income taxes and general sales taxes as well as property taxes.

The article includes a lot more details about the tax reform package announced today—most of which will have far less direct consequence for the built environment of cities and communities around the United States. The Republicans' position on the mortgage interest deduction and the property tax deduction are likely still under negotiation, with powerful industry groups like the National Association of Home Builders opposing changes that could make it more expensive to own property.