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How Not To Reform the Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction

In theory, the GOP’s provision makes sense. But in context of the rest of the tax plan, it does exactly what it was doing before—benefit the rich.
Representative Kevin Brady, a Republican from Texas, briefs reporters on the Republican tax legislation unveiled Thursday.
Representative Kevin Brady, a Republican from Texas, briefs reporters on the Republican tax legislation unveiled Thursday.Aaron Bernstein

On Thursday, House Republicans revealed their much-awaited tax reform legislation. One of its most-discussed features is a modification to the mortgage interest tax deduction (MID): The bill proposes capping the mortgages on new homes for which interest can be deducted at $500,000—half of the $1 million in home loans American can currently claim this tax break on.

Taken in a vacuum, this is not a bad move. But in conjunction with the other parts of this Republican tax plan, it achieves the same thing it was doing before: recycling inequality.