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Housing Market Distortions and the Mortgage Interest Deduction

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  • Andrew Hanson
  • Hal Martin

Abstract

Housing market distortions from the mortgage interest deduction (MID) typically focus on a single choice measure such as home size or self-reported amount of debt on a new mortgage. We estimate the amount of mortgage interest deducted on federal tax returns to capture the full range of housing market distortions from the MID. Our primary results show that for every one percentage point increase in the tax rate that applies to deductibility, the amount of mortgage interest deducted increases by US$303 to US$590. Empirical estimates imply elasticities of mortgage interest deducted with respect to the after-tax cost of housing between −0.78 and −1.62, and deadweight loss estimates ranging from 16 to 36 percent of MID tax expenditure.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Hanson & Hal Martin, 2014. "Housing Market Distortions and the Mortgage Interest Deduction," Public Finance Review, , vol. 42(5), pages 582-607, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pubfin:v:42:y:2014:i:5:p:582-607
    DOI: 10.1177/1091142113505679
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. James Poterba & Todd Sinai, 2008. "Tax Expenditures for Owner-Occupied Housing: Deductions for Property Taxes and Mortgage Interest and the Exclusion of Imputed Rental Income," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(2), pages 84-89, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hal Martin, 2018. "The Impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on Local Home Values," Working Papers (Old Series) 1806, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
    2. David Splinter, 2019. "The Mortgage Interest Deduction: Causes of Fluctuations in a Procyclical Tax Expenditure," Public Finance Review, , vol. 47(5), pages 807-827, September.
    3. Serena Fatica & Doris Prammer, 2018. "Housing and the Tax System: How Large Are the Distortions in the Euro Area?," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(2), pages 299-342, June.
    4. Martin, Hal & Hanson, Andrew, 2016. "Metropolitan area home prices and the mortgage interest deduction: Estimates and simulations from policy change," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 12-23.
    5. Insoo Baek & Sanghyo Lee & Joosung Lee & Jaejun Kim, 2021. "Analysis of Housing Market Dynamics Considering the Structural Characteristics of Mortgage Interest," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-15, September.
    6. Maxence Valentin, 2024. "Subsidizing housing with deductions," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(4), pages 1490-1515, September.

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