'We need a bipartisan solution:' Rep. Lawler takes aim at SALT deduction cap for married couples

Rep. Mike Lawler introduced the SALT Marriage Penalty Elimination Act in New City with the support of Rockland's town supervisors and Rockland County Executive Ed Day.

News 12 Staff

Jan 23, 2023, 10:32 PM

Updated 621 days ago

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Rep. Mike Lawler is taking aim at the State and Local Tax cap for married people in his first piece of legislation as a congressman.
"This has been a bipartisan failure, and we need a bipartisan solution to fix it,” he says. "I think this is a fair measure that we could take and frankly, all of my colleagues should support, and I encourage them to do so."
Lawler introduced the SALT Marriage Penalty Elimination Act in New City with the support of Rockland's town supervisors and Rockland County Executive Ed Day.
"My support will obviously be there for the people of Rockland County so we do not get treated unfairly, which is exactly what has been going on up until now,” Day says.
If passed into law, Lawler's legislation would allow married couples who file joint returns to deduct up to $20,000 of SALT on their federal income tax.
Currently, those who file for a SALT deduction as single or married are both capped at $10,000.
Lawler says his proposal has bipartisan support in congress.
"I think this is a good step in the right direction to provide some relief, especially here in the Hudson Valley. Married couples are being penalized by, not just having the cap on, but by having it on $10,000 while a single person is able to deduct the full 10,” he says.
Lawler says this is the first bill he's introducing. It will be part of a larger package called the Hudson Valley Affordability Pact.
He says the package will include tax reform, banning congestion pricing, increasing domestic energy production and addressing government spending.
Lawler is still calling for the cap on SALT to be removed.