Rod Grams: “to wrap up, our staff's story is not uncommon. There are many young couples who are forced to make similar decisions.…”

“to wrap up, our staff's story is not uncommon. There are many young couples who are forced to make similar decisions. The marriage penalty tax has discouraged women from marriage. It even has led some married couples to get friendly divorces. They continue to live together, but save on their taxes. Dr. Gray Burtless of the Brookings Institution recently found that the decline in marriage may be a major reason why income inequality has increased across families. He believes that many poor unmarried workers suffer because they do not have a spouse's income to help support their family. The Economist magazine offered a possible implication of this finding: Mr. Burtless's research suggests that the Clinton administration, rather than fretting about skills and trade, would do better to encourage the poor to marry and make sure their spouses work. The family has been, and will continue to be, the bedrock of our society. Strong families make strong communities; strong communities make for a strong America. We all agree that this marriage penalty tax treats married couples unfairly. Even President Clinton agrees that the marriage penalty is unfair. Contrary to these American values, the Federal tax code contains 66 provisions that can penalize married couples and force them to give more of their income to Washington. The Government's own study shows that 21 million American couples or 42 percent of couples incurred marriage penalties in 1996.…”