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The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 and Homeownership: Is Smaller Now Better?

Author

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  • Amelia M. Biehl

    (Department of Economics, University of Southern Indiana)

  • William Hoyt

    (Martin School of Public Policy and Administration and Department of Economics, University of Kentucky)

Abstract

Prior to 1997, homeowners under 55 were allowed to defer capital gains taxes from a home sale if they bought another house at least as expensive, while those over 55 received a capital gains exclusion regardless of the cost of their new home. The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (TRA97) eliminated this differential tax treatment. We exploit the differential treatment before 1997 to uncover TRA97’s effects. Comparing homeowners under 55 before and after 1997, we find that those who moved after 1997 are twice as likely as to list “seeking less expensive housing” as a reason for moving, 8 percent less likely to own their residences and 9 percent less likely to live in a single family home.

Suggested Citation

  • Amelia M. Biehl & William Hoyt, 2009. "The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 and Homeownership: Is Smaller Now Better?," Working Papers 2009-04, University of Kentucky, Institute for Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations.
    • Handle: RePEc:ifr:wpaper:2009-04
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hoyt, William H & Rosenthal, Stuart S, 1990. "Capital Gains Taxation and the Demand for Owner-Occupied Housing," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 72(1), pages 45-54, February.
    2. Shan, Hui, 2011. "The effect of capital gains taxation on home sales: Evidence from the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 177-188.
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    8. Cunningham, Christopher R. & Engelhardt, Gary V., 2008. "Housing capital-gains taxation and homeowner mobility: Evidence from the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(3), pages 803-815, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrea J. Heuson & Gary Painter, 2011. "The Impact of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 on Housing Turnover in the U.S. Single Family Residential Market," Working Paper 8509, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.
    2. Shan, Hui, 2011. "The effect of capital gains taxation on home sales: Evidence from the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 177-188.
    3. William H. Hoyt & Aaron Yelowitz, 2016. "Anticipated Property Tax Increases and the Timing of Home Sales: Evidence from Administrative Data," CESifo Working Paper Series 6264, CESifo.
    4. Andrea J. Heuson & Gary Painter, 2014. "The Impact of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 on Housing Turnover in the U.S. Single-Family Residential Market," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 42(4), pages 869-899, December.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • R21 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Housing Demand

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