Stakeholders Warn of Tax Bill’s Ill Effects, Call for Several Changes
November 10, 2017
Industry stakeholders are calling for changes to some of the mortgage- and housing-related provisions in the House Republicans’ proposed tax reform bill. On Nov. 9, 2017, the House Ways and Means Committee passed H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, retaining provisions that may significantly reduce homeownership tax incentives. At the same time, Senate Republicans unveiled their tax reform package, which limits the mortgage interest deduction, eliminates state and local tax deductions and nearly doubles the standard deduction, among other provisions. The Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Home Builders each had a list of concerns but were uniformly opposed to proposed changes to the mortgage-interest deduction. Among other things, the bill would cap the mortgage-interest deduction (MID) at $500,000 for new ...