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Merge pull request #2505 from PolicyEngine/MaxGhenis/issue2504
SALTernative blog post
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‎src/PolicyEngine.jsx‎

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@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ import CTCCalculator from "./applets/CTCCalculator";
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import GiveCalc from "./applets/GiveCalc";
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import { wrappedResponseJson } from "./data/wrappedJson";
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import US2024ElectionCalculator from "./applets/US2024ElectionCalculator";
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import SaltAMTCalculator from "./applets/SaltAMTCalculator";
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import SALTernative from "./applets/SALTernative";
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import AIPage from "./pages/learn/AI";
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import MicrosimPage from "./pages/learn/MicrosimPage";
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import EducationPage from "./pages/learn/EducationPage";
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path="/us/2024-election-calculator"
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element={<US2024ElectionCalculator />}
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/>
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<Route path="/us/salt-amt-calculator" element={<SaltAMTCalculator />} />
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<Route path="/us/salternative" element={<SALTernative />} />
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{/* Redirect for unrecognized paths */}
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<Route path="*" element={<Navigate to={`/${countryId}`} />} />

src/applets/SaltAMTCalculator.jsx renamed to src/applets/SALTernative.jsx

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import style from "../style";
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import { useWindowHeight } from "../hooks/useWindow";
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export default function SaltAMTCalculator() {
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export default function SALTernative() {
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const windowHeight = useWindowHeight();
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return (
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<>
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<Helmet>
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<title>SALT-AMT Calculator | PolicyEngine</title>
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<title>What&aposs the SALTernative? | PolicyEngine</title>
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</Helmet>
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<Header />
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<div
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>
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<iframe
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src="https://salt-amt-calculator-578039519715.us-central1.run.app/?embedded=true"
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title="SALT-AMT Policy Reform Calculator"
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title="What's the SALTernative?"
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height={`calc(100vh - ${style.spacing.HEADER_HEIGHT})`}
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width="100%"
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style={{ overflow: "hidden" }}

‎src/images/posts/introducing-salternative.png‎

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‎src/posts/articles/introducing-salternative.md‎

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Today we’re excited to launch **SALTernative**, a free web app that lets anyone — from researchers and journalists to households and Hill staff — simulate reforms to the state‑and‑local‑tax (SALT) deduction and the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and see their effects on:
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- **The federal budget** (2026–35)
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- **Average household incomes** across the distribution
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- **Individual households’ net income**, effective SALT caps, and property‑tax subsidy rates
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You can start exploring right now at [**policyengine.org/us/salternative**](https://policyengine.org/us/salternative).
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## Why a SALT + AMT model, and why now?
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- **Major policy change may be imminent.** When individual provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expire after 2025, the explicit $10,000 SALT cap vanishes and AMT parameters revert, reshaping incentives for millions of taxpayers.
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- **The interaction matters.** The AMT disallows the SALT deduction, creating an _effective_ SALT cap that can remain even without a statutory cap.
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- **Transparent evidence is scarce.** While existing estimates are static tables for individual reforms, SALTernative is flexible, open‑source, and free.
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![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2000/0*-ZtaSY2laGsW2qHh)
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## What you can do with SALTernative
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| Question | How the tool helps |
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| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| _“What if we doubled the SALT cap for married couples but kept the AMT?”_ | Toggle a checkbox and compare distributional and budget impacts side‑by‑side. |
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| _“If TCJA expires, how large is the effective SALT cap for a $250,000‑income household in New Jersey?”_ | Enter the household in the **Personalized Calculator** and view the value (it depends on other factors like mortgage interest). |
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| _“How much revenue would repealing both SALT and the AMT raise or lose over 2026‑35?”_ | Run the scenario and read the ten‑year budget window total. |
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Key features at launch include:
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- **Current‑law vs. current‑policy baselines.** Simulate against either an automatic TCJA sunset or a full extension.
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- **Behavioral responses.** Optionally incorporate CBO elasticities so earnings adjust when marginal tax rates change.
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- **Transparent methodology.** We’ve developed the tool [open-source on GitHub](https://github.com/PolicyEngine/salt-amt-calculator/), using the open-source PolicyEngine US microsimulation model — including a full set of state income tax rules, critical for SALT and AMT calculations.
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![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/3200/0*IcNDvUMfMqNelucT)
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## Join us to learn more — April 24 webinar
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We’re hosting a **joint webinar with [Arnold Ventures](http://arnoldventures.org)** (whose generous support made SALTernative possible) on **Thursday, April 24, at 10 AM ET**.
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We’ll walk through live demos, answer technical questions, and discuss how analysts are already using the model.
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👉 [**Register here**](https://arnoldventures.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qvtqn6DbRZeRzMaIWDwUDg#/registration)
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## Get started
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1. Head to [**policyengine.org/us/salternative**](https://policyengine.org/us/salternative).
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1. Choose a baseline, adjust SALT and AMT settings, and watch the charts update.
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1. Share your findings, cite the model, and help create **a world guided by transparent, verifiable evidence.**
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_Thank you to Arnold Ventures for supporting this work, and to our open‑source contributors who reviewed code, built datasets, and stress‑tested the interface._
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See you at the webinar!

‎src/posts/posts.json‎

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[
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{
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"title": "What's the SALTernative?",
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"description": "Introducing PolicyEngine’s free SALT‑AMT calculator — an open‑source web app to model next year’s SALT‑cap sunset, tweak AMT parameters, and see the budget, distributional, and household impacts in seconds.",
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"date": "2025-04-21",
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"tags": ["us", "featured"],
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"filename": "introducing-salternative.md",
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"image": "introducing-salternative.png",
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"authors": ["pavel-makarchuk", "max-ghenis"]
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},
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{
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"title": "MyFriendBen Launches in North Carolina, Using PolicyEngine API",
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"description": "Our rules engine powers the open-source multi-benefit screener and its expansion beyond Colorado.",

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