Yep, I was wrong, it is deductible. Perhaps the urban legend sprouted from the hysteria against Ocare.
excerpt:
IRS Publication 936
Part I. Home Mortgage Interest
This part explains what you can deduct as home mortgage interest. It includes discussions on points, mortgage insurance premiums, and how to report deductible interest on your tax return.
Generally, home mortgage interest is any interest you pay on a loan secured by your home (main home or a second home). The loan may be a mortgage to buy your home, a second mortgage, a line of credit, or a home equity loan.
You can deduct home mortgage interest if all the following conditions are met.
You file Form 1040 and itemize deductions on Schedule A (Form 1040).
The mortgage is a secured debt on a qualified home in which you have an ownership interest. Secured Debt and Qualified Home are explained later.
Both you and the lender must intend that the loan be repaid.
Fully deductible interest. In most cases, you can deduct all of your home mortgage interest. How much you can deduct depends on the date of the mortgage, the amount of the mortgage, and how you use the mortgage proceeds.
If all of your mortgages fit into one or more of the following three categories at all times during the year, you can deduct all of the interest on those mortgages. (If any one mortgage fits into more than one category, add the debt that fits in each category to your other debt in the same category.) If one or more of your mortgages does not fit into any of these categories, use Part II of this publication to figure the amount of interest you can deduct.
The three categories are as follows.
Mortgages you took out on or before October 13, 1987 (called grandfathered debt).
Mortgages you took out after October 13, 1987, to buy, build, or improve your home (called home acquisition debt), but only if throughout 2013 these mortgages plus any grandfathered debt totaled $1 million or less ($500,000 or less if married filing separately).
Mortgages you took out after October 13, 1987, other than to buy, build, or improve your home (called home equity debt), but only if throughout 2013 these mortgages totaled $100,000 or less ($50,000 or less if married filing separately) and totaled no more than the fair market value of your home reduced by (1) and (2).
I also found that the inheritance 35% tax is a myth as well. However, some states also tax inheritances:
Where Not To Die In 2013 - Forbes
