• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave

2

FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’

3

He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis

1

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave

2

FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’

3

He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis

How the Republican Tax Plan Could Change Mortgage Interest and Property Tax Deductions

By
John Patrick Pullen
John Patrick Pullen
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
John Patrick Pullen
John Patrick Pullen
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 2, 2017, 4:50 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The Republican Party’s proposed tax plan has finally been released, and everyone is examining the bill to see how the proposed reforms would impact them personally. One topic that has everyone abuzz: the treatment of the deductions on mortgage interest and state and local taxes, which are two of the three most popular itemized tax deductions, according to the non-profit Tax Foundation.

If you already own your home, changes to the mortgage interest and property tax deductions won’t impact you. But the proposals will hit close to home with home buyers, who could see big changes in their future federal tax bills.

Specifically, the GOP tax plan proposes cutting the cap on mortgage interest deductions on newly purchased homes. Currently, a married couple can deduct interest on mortgages of up to $1,000,000; the GOP plan would cut that to $500,000. Similarly, deductions of state and local property tax would be capped at $10,000. According to the Tax Foundation, the mortgage interest cap would hurt high-income taxpayers more than those in the middle- and lower-income brackets, because they likely own larger homes and have higher mortgage debt. The real estate industry has lobbied vehemently against the tax reforms, reports the Wall Street Journal.

One reason for GOP’s proposal, according to Republican talking points, is that they want to simplify the tax filing process; pushing for more filers to use the standard deduction (instead of itemizing deductions like mortgage interest and property tax separately) is one way to accomplish that. To that end, the GOP is also proposing to nearly double the amount of the standard deduction, making it more attractive than before.

But whether the proposed new standard deduction feels like a carrot or a stick may depend on the housing market in which you’re buying. If you’re outside a major metropolitan area, it’s generally easy to buy a home with a mortgage of less than $500,000 and continue to reap the tax benefits of using the mortgage interest deduction. But if you’re looking in expensive metropolitan areas ranging from Austin to Boston and all big cities in between, finding a home under $500,000 is becoming exceedingly rare. (Zillow’s Home Value tool provides the median list price by city, state, zip code, and neighborhood, making it a great resource for seeing how the legislation would impact home buyers in specific areas.)

Under the Republican tax plan, future homeowners who live in less expensive areas will realize more tax benefits than people buying in more expensive areas, because of the $500,000 ceiling put on mortgages. In addition, people buying less expensive homes could forego itemization and claim the new, bigger standard deduction instead, which would give them a better tax return under the GOP plan than under the existing code.

Parsing this data on a political map, as the Wall Street Journal has done, suggests that these changes will be popular within geographic areas that voted Republican in the 2016 election. In addition to average incomes being lower in “red” counties, state and local taxes (which would be deducted less on federal tax returns under the proposal) “tend to be higher in Democratic-controlled places such as New York and California,” the Journal notes.

About the Author
By John Patrick Pullen
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Europe optimized its supply chains for cost. Now it must pay for resilience  
Commentarysupply chains
Europe optimized its supply chains for cost. Now it must pay for resilience  
By Richard SaynorJuly 16, 2026
2 hours ago
school
AIEducation
84% of students use AI for homework. Only 3 in 10 schools have rules for it
By Brett DeJager and The ConversationJuly 16, 2026
2 hours ago
The landing page of the Visa Stablecoin Platform
CryptoVenture Capital
Exclusive: Visa launches new platform to provide stablecoin services to more than 200 million merchants
By Camila Grigera NaónJuly 16, 2026
3 hours ago
Current price of gold as of July 16, 2026
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of July 16, 2026
By Danny BakstJuly 16, 2026
3 hours ago
US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh testifies during a Senate Banking Committee hearing titled "The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress" on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 15, 2026.
EconomyBonds
Warsh’s Fed plan means it’s time to read the bond market backwards, says Morgan Stanley chief—and it could be great news for borrowers and homeowners
By Eleanor PringleJuly 16, 2026
3 hours ago
inflation
EconomyInflation
Wholesale inflation falls 0.3% in June, but Iran war clouds outlook
By Paul Wiseman and The Associated PressJuly 16, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave
Law
26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave
By Barbara Ortutay, Alexandra Olson and The Associated PressJuly 15, 2026
1 day ago
FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’
C-Suite
FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’
By Fortune EditorsJuly 15, 2026
1 day ago
He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis
Innovation
He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis
By Lily Mae LazarusJuly 15, 2026
1 day ago
Jamie Dimon understands why people are anti-rich: 'We have, in fact, left the lower-income folks behind' and 'that's kind of annoying'
Economy
Jamie Dimon understands why people are anti-rich: 'We have, in fact, left the lower-income folks behind' and 'that's kind of annoying'
By Eleanor PringleJuly 15, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
Newsletters
MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
By Sydney LakeJuly 14, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 15, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.