Action Alert: Another MAAPL Bill Gets a Hearing on 7/23/19

Join MAAPL supporters at the State House for a Hearing on An Act Relative to the Tax Relief of Mortgage Debt (H.2550/S.1719) this Tuesday, July 23rd!

Photo of MA State House

Pre-Hearing Lobby Session: 11:00 am

Meet Dana Rebeiro, MAAPL Legislation Organizer, between 10:00 and 10:30 am to lobby on the bill. Text Dana at 508-525-3386 if you’ll be joining us in the morning.

Hearing: 1:00 pm in Room B2, MA State House

Download a Fact Sheet on this bill ( PDF )

Let’s keep the momentum going—this Tuesday’s hearing follows a successful day of hearings last week for 5 of MAAPL’s bills and our Call-In Days in support of our legislation.

An Act Relative to the Tax Relief of Mortgage Debt is MAAPL’s very straightforward bill that has twice almost made it to a full vote. Should this bill pass, foreclosed homeowners would not be charged state taxes on the supposed profit that they made when the bank took their home and extinguished their mortgage.

Federal tax law recognizes that foreclosed homeowners have not actually realized a profit, so they don’t charge taxes on that amount. However, the MA Department of Revenue does not recognize the reality of the situation, so they expect homeowners to pay taxes on the supposed profit, adding insult (and expense!) to injury.

MAAPL has been fighting to get the state to line up with the Feds on this matter. Even if the Feds don’t continue the exemption, we want to make sure we have it in the Massachusetts state laws. It’s a matter of kicking folks when they’re down, and MAAPL believes such an action is never morally acceptable. If you agree, please join us in support of H.2550/S.1719!

Please email Grace Ross at maaplinfo@yahoo.com to RSVP for this Day of Action. We’re also looking for people to testify in support of this bill, so if you’ve been impacted by this inhumane MA law, please let Grace know you’re also interested in testifying.

Tell Your Legislators: Don’t Let Our Commonwealth Kick Foreclosed Homeowners When They’re Down—Support An Act Relative to the Tax Relief of Mortgage Debt (H.2550/S.1719)!

About MAAPL

The Mass. Alliance Against Predatory Lending (MAAPL) is a coalition of over 60 housing counseling agencies, legal services groups, social service agencies, and community-based social action groups that have joined together to address the foreclosure crisis in Massachusetts. MAAPL collects and distributes timely information on the foreclosure crisis and its effects to the public and to its member groups, drafts and supports legislation that provides important protections to homeowners and tenants facing foreclosure and eviction, documents the impact of the foreclosure crisis on local communities, networks with related organizations throughout the Commonwealth, and provides tools and information to help people navigate the legal system and advocate on their own behalf more effectively when challenging a foreclosure or eviction in court
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