Congress is considering legislation that could result in massive tax increases for thousands of Long Islanders, making it difficult for many middle class families to stay in their homes, and making it virtually impossible for many others to ever afford homes on Long Island. The leading business organization in the region has stated that the measures now being considered by Congress could result in a cumulative tax increase of more than $4 billion on Long Island.

The impact of such a massive federal tax increase on Long Island would be far reaching. A tax increase of this size would make it hard for many families on Long Island to make ends meet. Taxpayers would see their property values decline. Worse yet, recent gains in consumer confidence would be reversed and consumer buying power would be significantly reduced hurting families and small businesses.

We, the undersigned taxpayers of Long Island, urge our President, a fellow New Yorker, to use the full power and authority of his office to stop any bill passed by Congress that would eliminate or even reduce the deduction for state and local taxes. Eliminating this deduction would mean double taxation, since we would be taxed on the taxes we already pay at the state and local level, which is un-American, and patently unfair.

Long Island taxpayers already send $23 billion a year more in tax dollars to Washington than they get in return from the federal government. Long Island families should not be forced to absorb massive new increases in federal taxes to allow Congress to cut taxes in other communities across the nation.