Yesterday, with 12 days left on the legislative calendar, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ11), the congressperson who represents Verona, launched a “12 Days of SALT” campaign in the House of Repesentatives to urge the House to lift the federal cap on state and local tax (SALT) deduction before the end of 2019.
“I rise today on behalf of the taxpayers of North Jersey,” said Sherrill. “There are 12 days left in the legislative calendar. I urge the House to close 2019 by lifting the cap on the state and local tax deduction. I will be here on the floor every day this holiday season, highlighting the impact of SALT on my constituents and on Americans across the country, for ‘12 Days of SALT’.”
Since 1913, taxpayers choosing to itemize could deduct state and local taxes from their federal returns. That changed in 2017, when the Tax Cut and Jobs Act imposed a $10,000 cap on the SALT deduction. This policy violates 150 years of precedent in federal tax law, disproportionately harms New Jersey, and unfairly imposes a marriage penalty on couples filing jointly.
Sherrill is the author of the bipartisan SALT Relief and Marriage Penalty Elimination Act, H.R. 2624. Introduced earlier this year, Sherrill’s bill is co-sponsored by Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-NY21), Peter King (R-NY2), and Gil Cisneros (D-CA39), and endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers and National Association of Realtors.
