House votes to make sales tax deduction permanent; helps those in states with no income tax

The House has voted to make permanent a deduction for state and local sales taxes that expired at the beginning of the year.

The tax break helps people who live in the nine states that don't have a state income tax on wages.

The vote was 272-152

The deduction is one of dozens of temporary tax breaks that are routinely extended every year or two.

House Republicans are working to make selected ones permanent. They say the measure is about fairness, because people in states with incomes taxes can deduct those taxes on their federal returns.

The White House threatened to veto the bill in part because it would add $42 billion to the budget deficit over the next decade.