A New Jersey Democrat working for Congress in a swing Home district opposed State and Native Tax (SALT) reduction — earlier than reversing course and backing extra deductions whereas looking for public workplace
Sue Altman was in favor of earnings, property, gross sales and different tax hikes whereas serving as state director of the progressive Working Households Social gathering between 2019 and 2023.
In 2022, Altman lashed out at Backyard State Democratic Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer for attempting to remove a cap on SALT deductions for his or her constituents’ federal tax invoice.
“Disappointing – the [Working Families] get together gave @MikieSherrill & @RepJoshG bluer districts and still- such a pointy flip away from the get together and Biden/Pelosi,” she posted on X in July 2022.
Nonetheless, the Democrat’s present marketing campaign platform pledges to “decrease taxes for Jersey households” by “repealing the unfair and punitive Trump-era SALT deduction cap.”
It’s the newest place that Altman has flipped on in her bid to unseat GOP Rep. Tom Kean in New Jersey’s seventh Congressional District — a race that’s at the moment rated as a toss-up by the nonpartisan Prepare dinner Political Report.
An inner ballot performed by the Democratic Congressional Marketing campaign Committee Oct. 8-9 discovered doubtless voters narrowly choose Kean to Altman, 50% to 48%.
Sherrill, Gottheimer and different blue state Democrats have been lengthy against the $10,000 cap on state and native tax deductions — a characteristic of former President Donald Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
Earlier than a large rally final month in Lengthy Island, Trump shocked New York and New Jersey residents by vowing to return their SALT deductions to pre-2017 norms.
“I’ll flip it round, get SALT again, decrease your Taxes, and a lot extra. I’ll work with the Democrat Governor and Mayor, and ensure the funding is there to deliver New York State again to ranges it hasn’t seen for 50 years,” he posted on Reality Social earlier than an occasion on the Nassau Coliseum.
Residents in high-tax states have been beforehand allowed to deduct all property, gross sales or earnings taxes on the state and native degree from what they owed to the IRS.
New Jerseyans have the fifth-highest tax burden within the nation at 13.2% and pay the best in property taxes of any state (2.23%), in keeping with Tax Basis analyses.
Average congressional Democrats tried to tuck the SALT cap elimination into massive spending payments just like the Inflation Discount Act throughout President Biden’s time period, however have been unsuccessful in passing the tax reduction by way of each chambers of Congress.
The SALT deductions would have partially hindered Biden’s multi-trillion-dollar legislative agenda, with the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation estimating a federal income lower of $88.7 billion in 2021.
The entire 2017 tax regulation’s provisions are set to run out in December 2025, if not renewed within the subsequent presidential administration.
Whereas Trump has pledged to make all of the tax cuts everlasting, Harris has solely promised to increase the cuts for People making lower than $400,000 per yr.
Whoever wins the competition for New Jersey’s seventh District is prone to affect the following massive tax invoice in Congress.
As Working Households Social gathering boss, Altman advocated for elevating company tax charges, earnings tax charges for New Jerseyans making greater than $250,000 and a common tax on estates valued at $1 million or extra.
“Sue Altman has by no means met a tax enhance she didn’t like,” mentioned Nationwide Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Savannah Viar in a press release. “If she had it her approach, she can be taxing onerous–working People much more to assist fund lavish life for unlawful immigrants.”
An Altman marketing campaign spokesperson didn’t reply to a request for remark.