Washington, DC—The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) President and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu released the following statement in response to the Senate Tax Reform Bill:
“The nation’s mayors strongly oppose the Senate’s proposal to eliminate the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction in their tax reform bill. The Senate repeal of SALT violates the promise that tax reform would provide relief for middle class families. Instead the proposal would tax these families twice on the same income.
SALT is a fundamental principle in the tax code since its inception in 1913. It is based on the principle that the federal government does not double tax local tax dollars paid by hard working Americans to support teachers, firefighters, police, local infrastructure and basic services. The Senate’s proposal would put the federal government in the decisions our residents make locally on local tax dollars.
Before writing their tax policy, Senators should talk to mayors and the people they represent. We stand ready to explain how SALT has helped middle class families balance their household budgets for a century. We urge tax writers to protect it in any forthcoming legislation.”