Tax Reform or Raising Taxes

There is an old saying about the two political parties. Democrats raise taxes while Republicans reform taxes. In both instances, we end up paying more money. In a very brave move, a bipartisan committee is recommending tax reform that goes after the beloved mortgage interest deduction.

The committee looking into tax reform was given a directive by President Bush to simplify a tax code that is universally agreed to be a disaster area. You may not realize it, but two additional sections are added to code every day on average. One of the particular problems is the Alternative Minimum Tax, which was originally designed to keep super wealthy people from avoiding taxes. Because it was written poorly, the AMT now affects a large percentage of people. The problem, however, is how do you get a make up for a tax that produces millions of dollars in revenue for the government?

The committee's answer is to go after the mortgage interest deduction. The committee has offered two plans and we'll look at the first one here.

In the

If Congress pursues a cap on the mortgage interest deduction, chaos will reign. It is hard to imagine this option being adopted by the politicians.
About the Author

Dan Lewis is a mortgage broker with http://www.gwhomeloans.com - San Diego mortgage brokers providing home loans and refinances. Visit http://gwhomeloans.com/services.html to learn more about options for San Diego mortgages.