Taxes and the User Cost of Capital for Owner-occupied Housing

Taxes and the User Cost of Capital for Owner-occupied Housing
Author: Patric H. Hendershott
Publisher:
Total Pages: 42
Release: 1982
Genre: Capital levy
ISBN:

Owner-occupied housing is said to be favored in the tax code because mortgage interest and property taxes can be deducted in the computation of one's income tax base in spite of the fact that the returns from owner- occupied housing = not taxed. The special tax treatment reduces the user cost of capital for owner-occupied homing. The issue treated in this paper is the measurement of the tax rate to be employed in the user cost calculations. It is argued that different tax rates am appropriate for the tenure choice and quantity-demanded decisions, and that these values depend on the detailed tax position of the household and the method of finance. Average 1977 tax rates for households in different income ranges are calculated using the NBER TAXSIM microeconomic data file on individual tax returns.

Income Tax Provisions Affecting Owner-occupied Housing

Income Tax Provisions Affecting Owner-occupied Housing
Author: James M. Poterba
Publisher:
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2008
Genre: Housing
ISBN:

The mortgage interest deduction, the property tax deduction, the unique treatment of capital gains on owner-occupied homes, and the absence of taxation on imputed rent from owner-occupied homes all influence the effective cost of housing services. They also affect federal income tax revenues and the distribution of income tax liabilities. We draw on household-level data from the 2004 Survey of Consumer Finances to analyze how several potential reforms would affect incentives for housing consumption as well as the distribution of income tax burdens. Our analysis recognizes that changing the mortgage interest deduction would induce changes in household financial behavior. We estimate that repealing the mortgage interest deduction in 2003 would have raised income tax revenues by $72.4 billion in the absence of any portfolio adjustments, but by only $61.9 billion if homeowners responded by drawing down a limited set of financial assets to partially replace their mortgage debt. The revenue effects of changing the property tax deduction similarly depend on how state and local governments alter their mix of revenue instruments in response to federal tax reform. Our results underscore the importance of recognizing behavioral responses when calculating the revenue costs of income tax provisions relating to owner-occupied housing.

Investment in Housing in the United States

Investment in Housing in the United States
Author: Krister Andersson
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 38
Release: 1990-10-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1451948808

It is well known that the preferential tax treatment of housing induces an inefficient allocation of saving and investment. This paper analyzes, in a portfolio framework, how eliminating the deductibility of mortgage interest payments for federal income tax purposes might affect investment in housing. Expected rate of return and risk is estimated for three assets, bonds, housing, and stocks. The possibility that assets are imperfect substitutes is explicitly recognized in one section of the paper. The model suggests that the share of housing is likely to decrease by 4 to 9 percentage points if mortgage interest payments are not deductible. This may call for careful phasing of the change in policy.