The reason that the mortgage deduction is left in is that when surveyed years ago, people said they wouldn’t vote for a flat tax because they would lose their mortgage deduction. Stupid but true. We have to share this could country with some pretty dim CFL’s. (that’s a play on words there.)
(hopefully people know what a play on words is, but I’m not so sure sometimes.)
(The word is bulbs as in light bulbs.)
(CFL is compact fluorescent light)
(sometimes things just aren’t funny when you have to explain them in detail)
Go ahead and pass the flat tax WITH the mortgage deduction. We can start to phase it out later.