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President Obabma's Debt Reduction Commission has a difficult task, without a doubt.  However, changing, modifying or eliminating the Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID) is pure economic Suicide!  Instead of cutting back spending and harshly reigning in the size and scope of the Federal Government, the commission is looking to the "Low Hanging Fruit" to reduce the debt and deficit THEY created.

The MID represents a large and vast amount of new revenue for the federal government.  But what amazes this writer, is that they continually miss the target.  The modification or elimination of the MID would be a catastrophic mistake.  The Housing market represents nearly 17% of the economy.  134 people (on average) are involved or touch every Real Estate transaction.  For every home sold (on average) more than $65,000 is cycled into the economy.

Maybe we should look back to remember how this whole financial meltdown began a few years back.  Bad lending policy dictated by the Federal Government was at the root of the Housing/Lending crisis.  Bad Tax policy relating and directly affecting the Housing industry will be devastating to the WHOLE economy.

Realtors, Builders, Lenders, Tradesmen, Retailers and many, many affected groups will be lined up to oppose this change.  Be aware, make calls, write your Legislators, get involved!  Too many serious decisions are being made that will be detrimental to our way of life. 

Daily Real Estate News  |  December 1, 2010  |  

NAR: MID Must Not be Targeted for Change
President Obama's deficit commission released its final report Wednesday recommending a host of controversial spending cuts and tax changes that would cut $4 trillion in debt over the next decade. Among the proposals is a scaled-back mortgage interest deduction (MID) for home owners.

The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS® immediately challenged the recommendation to reduce the deduction. “As the leading advocate for housing and home ownership issues, NAR firmly believes that the MID is vital to the stability of the American housing market and economy,” said NAR President Ron Phipps.

Here is the remainder of Phipps’s statement:

“The MID must not be targeted for change. NAR is actively engaged on behalf of the nation’s 75 million home owners and 1.1 million REALTORS® to ensure that the current deduction is not modified as was recommended in the Deficit Reduction Commission report released today.

"The tax deductibility of interest paid on mortgages is a powerful incentive for home ownership and has been one of the simplest provisions in the federal tax code for more than 80 years. In a new survey commissioned by NAR and conducted online in October 2010 by Harris Interactive of nearly 3,000 homeowners and renters, nearly three-fourths of homeowners and two-thirds of renters said the mortgage interest deduction was extremely or very important to them.

"Recent progress has been made in bringing stability to the housing market and any changes to the MID now or in the future could critically erode home prices and the value of homes by as much as 15 percent, according to our research. This would negatively impact home ownership for millions of Americans, including those who own their homes outright and have no mortgage.

"Any further downward pressure on home prices will hamper the economic recovery, raise foreclosures and hurt banks’ abilities to lend and likely tip the economy into another recession resulting in further job losses for the country. It will effectively close the door on the American dream.

"NAR will remain vigilant in opposing any plan that modifies or excludes the deductibility of mortgage interest.”

—NAR