Folks at the other end of the income scale get very little. First, since this issue so rarely sees the light of day, it's good to get the numbers out. Second, from a home owner's perspective, the fact that the federal tax system is so generous can only be good news. It makes home ownership easier to afford, raises the economic value of owning a home, and provides millions of people tax-free cash when they sell their shelter. From the perspective of those who are not home owners, on the other hand, the size of the federal subsidies to home owners can only be sobering, if not enraging.
Renters get virtually no subsidies for their choice of shelter.
No wonder that when Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies looked at the net wealth of home owners last year vs. that of renters, it documented vast differences.