Mid-Hudson Valley Perspective:

ALBANY - President Donald Trump’s plan to do away with state and local deductions on federal income-tax returns would disproportionately affect those in the New York City suburbs, according to the state Comptroller’s Office.

(Posted Saturday, July 15, 2017 ) <Read it>

--Poughkeepsie Journal--

Editorial Comment

A tax cut for lower income earners, and a tax increase for “the rich” - what could Democrats and their media allies find wrong with that? Plenty, when their entire agenda consists of obstructing Republicans!

This story is so one-sided and misleading it’s pathetic - even by Poughkeepsie Journal standards. For one thing, it doesn’t mention that many of the people it claims will be hurt will actually be helped. Many who itemize have deductions only a few hundred dollars above the standard deduction. These people will get two benefits: a higher deduction and much simpler tax returns.

Also, it repeatedly cites “average” itemized deductions. This figure is skewed way upward by the very wealthy. For example, if one taxpayer has itemized deductions of $20,000 and another $2 million, the average is $1.01 million. A much more meaningful figure would be the mean, i.e., half of deductions are below it and half above it. But Democrats and their media allies aren’t into meaningful, they’re into spin, and this article has little else.

Then, there’s this:

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has railed against the Trump tax plan, likening his plan to repeal the state and local deduction to “double taxation.”

“I believe it is unconstitutional and illegal because you now want to tax the tax that people pay to their state and local government,” Cuomo said in May.

Does Prince Andrew understand that New York state taxes subtract local income taxes and general sales taxes from federal itemized deductions to arrive at the state itemized deductions? Isn’t that “double taxation”? - BK

From the Mid-Hudson Valley Perspective Archive

DINAPOLI: TRUMP TAX PLAN WOULD HIT HUDSON VALLEY HARD