I see the deduction of mortgage interest on owner-occupied property as putting prospective owners on closer to equal footing as prospective landlords when compe

I see the deduction of mortgage interest on owner-occupied property as putting prospective owners on closer to equal footing as prospective landlords when competing for housing. (Business interest is a deductible expense.) I don’t want the net financing costs for a rented property to be significantly lower, which would serve to help a landlord outbid an owner-occupant. (Yes, there is also a social engineering component, but there’s a practical economics-based argument for it as well.)