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[Page H2686]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING STATE AND LOCAL TAX DEDUCTION
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Zeldin) for 5 minutes.
Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Speaker, tax day is approaching on April 15, and I
again rise to state my support for the State and local tax deduction.
There were many positive aspects to the tax bill that I voted
against.
I support reducing the corporate tax rate, but it should not have
been done by increasing personal taxes on any hardworking middle-income
Long Islander in my district.
The $10,000 cap that was made to the SALT deduction was a punch in
the gut to middle-class taxpayers in my district.
There were positive aspects, as I said, of the tax bill: expanding
the medical expense deduction, preserving education and student
deductions, doubling the child tax credit, the AMT changes.
And as I stated, changing the corporate tax rate helps make the
United States more competitive globally, to improve our business
climate, to help create more jobs, but it should not be done by raising
taxes on the personal income side.
I have been working closely with colleagues on both sides of the
aisle to address this issue. I have been working with Democratic
Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey. I cosponsor legislation
between Peter King, a Republican, and Tom Suozzi, a Democrat, H.R.
257. Nita Lowey introduced a bill that I cosponsor, H.R. 188.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all my colleagues in this Chamber to work
together to address this important issue, because it is important to
deliver tax relief to all Americans.
Now, I do have an important message, though, to the Governor of New
York, the mayor of New York City, those who are running State and local
governments in States like mine. The reason why our State and local tax
deduction was as high as it was is because our State and local taxes
are as high as they are.
So everybody needs to look in the mirror and figure out what we can
do to do our part, because all levels of government need to deliver tax
relief.
My home State of New York has some of the highest taxes in the entire
country. It is ranked as the second worst State in the entire Nation to
do business. You couple that with the loss of the SALT deduction, and
it has only sped up the amount of businesses and individuals who are
choosing to leave our State.
It was very upsetting to see an effort by elected officials, some
here in Congress, others in the State legislature to push away 25,000
good-paying Amazon jobs that would have been coming to Long Island
City.
Now, we all must do our part. The State and local tax deduction has
been around in some way since, you could say, Abraham Lincoln's
administration. He used the State and local tax deduction to help keep
this union together and fight the Civil War.
It was a tough debate a little over a year ago now when the tax law
was passed through both Chambers and signed by the President, but next
month, as April 15 approaches and people have to pay their taxes, they
are going to be seeing less in their return, many will be seeing less
in their return where I am from. Some will be getting more, and that is
great.
I didn't oppose this bill because all of my constituents were going
to see a tax increase. It was that too many were going to see a tax
increase.
Now, all, when they are getting their tax return need to understand
that throughout the year, money was added to their paycheck because of
a change in the way that taxes were calculated with withholdings
through the year. So that is something else to factor in when trying to
figure out the impact of the tax bill. Again, some people will be
seeing less that they owe, others will be seeing more.
In this Chamber, in the halls of the New York State capitol, in the
halls of State capitols everywhere, in city halls, in county and town
governments all throughout America, we all need to do our part to
deliver tax relief.
{time} 1030
Because at all levels of government, really, it is not a revenue
issue that has been leading to the situation that we face as a country
and in our local governments. It has been an expenditure issue.
Whether you could save a dollar, a million dollars, a billion
dollars, wherever you can find money to save, we need to get better at
how we tax and spend the people's money. We need to spend it as if it
is our own.
Mr. Speaker, there is a message here to my colleagues in this
Chamber. I ask for their support of this legislation, multiple bills
that have been introduced. I make that plea to the Senate, to the
administration, and also to all those representatives of State and
local governments responsible for the fact that the reason our
deduction was as high as it was, was because our State and local taxes
were as high as they were. But we need to do our part here in this
Chamber.
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