Re:Why Land and Homes Actually Tend to Be Disappointing Inve...
by gumby on Sunday July 17, 2016 @05:19PM
(#12111884)
> What I find silly is, is the gov't really subsidizing housing in the end?
> Offer a tax deduction on mortgage interest and people can afford a higher price so competition drives prices up and everyone ends up in the same place.
Exactly: it's a tax subsidy to sales agents (and others whose income depends on the transaction price). Homeowners don't get anything out of it except that their house has a larger $ on their list of assets. It doesn't help them buy a better house (since everyone in the same income bracket can afford the same house).
It's pitched as a middle class benefit though, so simplifying the system would be greeted with howls of dismay.
It does screw those of us who pay cash for our houses BTW.
Exactly: it's a tax subsidy to sales agents (and others whose income depends on the transaction price). Homeowners don't get anything out of it except that their house has a larger $ on their list of assets. It doesn't help them buy a better house (since everyone in the same income bracket can afford the same house).
It's pitched as a middle class benefit though, so simplifying the system would be greeted with howls of dismay.
It does screw those of us who pay cash for our houses BTW.