Washington, DC — The U.S. Conference of Mayors issued the following statement in response to a proposed amendment by Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), which would eliminate or restrict the deduction for state and local taxes (SALT):

“The U.S. Conference of Mayors opposes the budget amendment offered by Senator Capito that seeks to limit or repeal the deductibility of state and local government taxes. Efforts to limit or repeal SALT deductions are an unwanted and unwarranted federal intrusion on local efforts to fund schools, police officers, firefighters, and public infrastructure.

Forty-four million households claim the SALT deduction, the majority of whom are middle-class taxpayers. If our taxpayers lose the deduction for their state and local taxes, they will face double taxation. Consequently, instead of allowing working families in every one of our communities to deduct the amount they pay in state and local taxes, the Federal government will be forcing taxpayers who make up the backbone of our economy to pay taxes a second time on the same income. The threat is real and the impact could be devastating to families across the country in just about every community – urban, rural, suburban.”