WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. John Katko said Wednesday he intends to vote for a sweeping Republican tax overhaul bill on Thursday, rejecting pleas from Gov. Andrew Cuomo who says the bill will place new burdens on New York taxpayers.

Katko, R-Camillus, made his decision amid mounting pressure from Democrats and some New York Republicans who oppose the GOP bill because they believe it's a bad deal for taxpayers in the state.

Katko told syracuse.com that he's convinced the GOP plan will benefit most taxpayers in Central New York and help businesses across the state thrive under a lower corporate tax rate of 20 percent.

"It's not that tough a decision," Katko said. "When you have tax cuts for the middle class and the working poor, it's a very easy decision for me."

He said it would be hard to vote against the bill "when you add the ability to make the American workforce more competitive."

Katko becomes the third House Republican in New York to say he will vote for the bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a plan for the biggest overhaul to the U.S. tax code in more than 30 years.

Four other New York Republicans, including Upstate New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, says they plan to vote "no" when the bill is considered Thursday night. The others are Reps. Peter King, Lee Zeldin and Dan Donovan, representing Long Island and Staten Island.

Katko is considered a key swing vote because Republicans can afford to lose only about 20 votes and still have the 218 votes needed for passage. Democrats are expected to unanimously vote against the bill, which was drafted in secret without their input.

Katko was among 20 House Republicans who broke with the party last month on a budget vote that paved the way for consideration of the tax package. At the time, Katko voiced concerns about GOP plans to eliminate the most popular tax break for New Yorkers, the state and local tax deduction, or SALT.

But he emerged as one of the key negotiators to restore part of the SALT deductions, allowing homeowners to deduct up to $10,000 each year that they pay in property taxes.

The final bill still eliminates the deduction of state and local income taxes. New Yorkers claimed more than $50 billion under that deduction in 2015, according to the most recent IRS figures.

Katko said he is convinced taxpayers in his 24th Congressional District will still be better off under the GOP plan to double the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for families, and offer new and expanded child and family tax credits.

He said the average taxpayer in the district with an adjusted gross income of $61,000 and a family of four would see a net decrease in their tax liability of $1,242. The family's federal tax bill would decrease from $1,882 to $640. Katko's office made the calculation using IRS data from 2015 for a taxpayer who does not itemize deductions.

Cuomo's office has said that residents of the 24th District who do itemize their federal taxes, more than 81,000 taxpayers, would see their tax liability increase by an average of $2,434 under the GOP plan. Those calculations are based on IRS data from 2015 for Onondaga, Oswego, Cayuga and Wayne counties.

Katko said his position won't change, unless the Senate has its way with a separate version of the tax bill that would eliminate all of the SALT deductions, including the property tax deduction.

"If that bill comes over here as is, I will absolutely, positively not vote for it because that bill stinks," Katko said of the Senate bill.

Katko said the House bill is not perfect, and he would like to restore some tax breaks, including a federal tax credit for historic preservation that helped the Hotel Syracuse resotoration project.

The differences in the House and Senate bills, if they both pass their respective chambers, would have to be reconciled in a conference committee and approved in a new vote.

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