Pete Domenici: “the marriage penalty is the extra tax a couple pays as a result of being married. When a couple says ``I do'' they are…”

“the marriage penalty is the extra tax a couple pays as a result of being married. When a couple says ``I do'' they are really saying ``IRS, we will pay.'' The tax code has 63 provisions that penalize couples for being married. There are more than 20 income phase-outs and each is a marriage penalty. The two biggest marriage penalizers are the standard deduction and the tax brackets. Fairness would dictate that the standard deduction for a couple should be twice what it is for a single taxpayer. Fairness would dictate that the tax bracket income cut-off points for a married couple should be twice that of a single taxpayer. That is not the way the current code is structured. This bill would restore fairness. About 25 million married couples annually are adversely affected by the marriage penalty. Average marriage penalty is $1,400. If we eliminated the marriage penalty, the typical family would have an extra $1,400 to pay the electric bill for nine months, pay for three months of day care, pay for a five-day vacation at Disneyland or eat out 35 times. There wasn't always a marriage penalty. Prior to 1948 the tax code taxed individuals, but today, the marriage penalty has infiltrated the entire tax code. It didn't matter when most women stayed at home, but now that so many women work it is indefensible to have the marriage penalty in our law.”