Pascrell, Gottheimer Launch Fight to Restore SALT Deduction

RAMSEY, NJ – Today, U.S. Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05) highlighted their fight to fully restore the state and local tax (SALT) deduction in the 116th Congress. The congressmen, Ramsey Mayor Deirdre Dillon, and borough councilmembers stood in front of the Ramsey salt depot to emphasize how New Jerseyans and local governments have long relied on SALT deductions for critical needs before the deduction was severely capped by Republicans.

“The State and Local Tax deduction enriches our communities by allowing state and local governments to provide needed services like roads, police, and teachers. Middle Class New Jersey families have used them for years to help afford college tuition payments, medical bills, and family vacations. And this year, Republicans stole them. They stole them to give some tax cuts to their donor class and big business friends,” said Rep. Pascrell, New Jersey’s only member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. “I was a vocal critic of the GOP Tax Scam as it made its way through that committee. I offered amendments to restore the SALT deduction that were voted down on party lines. With a new guard in Washington, a better day is coming. Both through the Ways and Means Committee and legislation, I will be fighting tooth and nail to see the SALT deduction restored for New Jersey. We won’t rest until our taxpayers get their money back and are made whole again.”

“Congressman Pascrell and I are here this morning for a simple reason: to officially launch our fight in the new Congress to reinstate the SALT deduction, so we can stop double taxation, actually cut taxes for northern New Jersey, to kill the New Jersey-targeted political games coming out of the IRS, and prevent more people and business from moving out of Jersey to the Moocher States,” said Rep. Gottheimer. “Voters on both sides of the aisle said ‘we got crushed by this federal tax hike bill and we’ve had enough.’ The salt pile behind us represents the magnitude of that revolt. The  39 candidates that flipped seats on Election Night, that gave Democrats the majority, were fiscally responsible moderates. Those who believe, like I do, that we need to make life more affordable for people. We need to cut taxes at every level, including here in New Jersey.”

Ramsey recently passed a resolution urging Congress to reinstate the SALT deduction.

Last year, the GOP tax bill set a punishing $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions. In New Jersey, every county except one has average SALT deductions over that limit. In Rep. Pascrell’s district, the average deduction was over $18,000 with the average taxpayer in Bergen County claiming $24,783.

In October 2017, Rep. Pascrell offered an amendment in the full House to retain the SALT deduction, but the amendment was ruled out of order by the Republican-controlled Rules Committee. In November 2017, during the Ways and Means Committee markup of the Republican tax bill, he offered a second amendment to retain the deduction, which was voted down along party lines, 16-23. And in September 2018, Rep. Pascrell denounced Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee after they blocked another of his amendments to fully restore the deduction on a 14-21 party line vote.

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