Mortgages should be made less attractive. That’s one lesson of the recent housing bubble and bust. As long as borrowing seems like the easy road to riches, people will do too much of it. But right now in the United States, the tax code encourages many people to take out big mortgages. That’s why it’s a good idea to put the elimination of the tax deductibility of mortgage interest on the political agenda. American homeowners can for tax purposes deduct interest on mortgages of up to $1 million. It’s a politically popular arrangement, and the lure of paying a bit less to the government has been an incentive to stretch housing budgets up to, or past, the limit. Even extra cash borrowed under home equity loans can share in the tax largess, whether or not the funds go to home improvement. — The high income needed to take advantage of this tax benefit undercuts the claims of supporters that tax deductibility of mortgage interest promotes home ownership, which almost all Americans seem to assume is a good thing. In fact, it is a distortion in favor of those who need the least help. The tax logic also encourages families to borrow rather than save. When the personal savings rate is a paltry 3% and policy makers are wringing their hands about global imbalances, this is the wrong message to send. Moreover, potential investment is skewed toward housing rather than, say, infrastructure, manufacturing and education.
The case for ending the mortgage deduction
Most Popular Articles
Latest Articles
Download these 9 real estate prospecting letter templates that actually work
Build your business with direct mail using these expert-written real estate prospecting letter templates.
-
14 powerful tips to master networking as an introvert in real estate
-
Fintech startup Hitch rolls out white-label HELOC product
-
6 best real estate schools in Washington (WA) for 2024
-
Rick Roque departs CrossCountry Mortgage to join Sierra Pacific
-
Brokerage executives double down on their lead generation strategies