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Full-Text Articles in Law
Curtailing The Economic Distortions Of The Mortgage Interest Deduction, William T. Mathias
Curtailing The Economic Distortions Of The Mortgage Interest Deduction, William T. Mathias
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
Many Americans consider the mortgage interest deduction a necessary fixture of the American tax system. In this Article, Mathias examines the economic underpinnings of the deduction and finds that it cannot be justified on purely economic grounds. He then evaluates the major policy arguments for the mortgage interest deduction and concludes that it is inefficient, inequitable, and too costly in its present form to be justified on policy grounds. Finally, the author advocates for the elimination or substantial reduction in the size and scope of the mortgage interest deduction.
Adverse Possession Against The States: The Hornbooks Have It Wrong, Paula R. Latovick
Adverse Possession Against The States: The Hornbooks Have It Wrong, Paula R. Latovick
University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform
The hornbook rule is that adverse possession statutes do not run against land owned by state governments. Yet, in practice, the land of many states is subject to loss by adverse possession. Few states have statutes that simply and explicitly protect all state land from adverse possession. This Article describes the variety of ways in which states protect or fail to protect their land from adverse possession. It concludes with the recommendation that, given increasing development pressures and limited state enforcement budgets, state legislatures should protect completely all state land from adverse possession.