Today, U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), New Jersey’s only member on the House Ways and Means Committee, highlighted just-released 2016 data from the Internal Revenue Service showing that middle class New Jerseyans in all but one county in the state enjoyed an average $10,000 or more State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction shortly before House Republicans voted in near unanimity to cap the tax break at $10,000 in 2017. House Republicans are poised to advance legislation to make those caps permanent this month.

“This data from the IRS is stunning. Middle-class New Jerseyans enjoyed SALT deductions on average of at least $10,000 in 20 of 21 counties in our state. In the three counties I represent, the average SALT deduction in Hudson County was $14,491, Passaic County was $14,714, and Bergen County was $24,783. For decades, our neighbors have used this deduction for medical bills, school tuition, home repairs, and other life necessities. In their tax scam, Republicans voted to steal it and then converted it into tax cuts for corporations. In their own words, Republicans wanted to maliciously bring pain to New Jersey – and they succeeded. The vote tally even included support from one member of the New Jersey delegation who voted to punish his own citizens to give millionaires their money.

“Republicans promised the tax scam would raise wages for regular Americans. This was a damn lie. We have seen how the tax cut has been used on executive bonuses and stock buybacks. Yet, despite universal rejection of their scam, Republicans are ‘full steam ahead’ to another one that would make the new SALT deduction caps permanent. But as we learned from Police Academy II, Caddyshack II, and Matrix Reloaded, the sequel is almost always worse than the original. It’s no wonder so many Americans have given this GOP Congress worse reviews than Jaws: The Revenge.”

Source: IRS.gov

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