WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives today passed a bipartisan bill championed by Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) that would lower taxes on Orange County families. The legislation would repeal the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap, which caused many households in Orange County families to see their taxes go up in 2018.

Watch Porter call for the bill’s passage on the House floor HERE.

Porter has been leading the fight in Congress to lower taxes on Orange County families. She previously led a bipartisan letter to House leaders of both parties, calling on them to prioritize repealing the SALT deduction cap. Enacted as part of the Trump tax law, the cap resulted in tens of thousands of families in the 45th District losing the ability to deduct their full property taxes from their federal tax bill.

“The passage of this important legislation today is a victory for Orange County’s working families,” Congresswoman Porter said. “The Trump tax law hurt working people and gave a windfall to corporate special interests. The cap on the State and Local Tax deduction imposes a marriage penalty and unfairly targets communities that choose to invest in their schools, roads, and first responders. It is past time that we repeal the harmful SALT limits and restore tax fairness. I was proud to push this bill across the finish line.”

Estimates indicate that nearly half of taxpayers in the 45th District use the SALT deduction, with an average deduction of more than $22,000 per household that used the deduction. By capping the deduction at $10,000, many middle-class families had higher tax bills in 2018, and will continue to see their taxes go up. What’s worse, the Trump tax bill imposes a marriage penalty. While unmarried individuals can each file for $10,000 worth of SALT deductions—totaling $20,000 worth of deductions—a married couple can only claim $10,000.

Reversing the Trump tax law’s increased taxes on Orange County families has been a key priority for Porter. In addition to this week’s legislation, Porter has backed two additional to repeal the harmful limits on SALT deductions. She previously testified before the House Ways and Means Committee about the need to reverse the SALT deduction cap. She also collected stories from families in the 45th District who have seen their taxes go up as a result of the Trump tax law.

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