Rob Portman: “There are not many issues we agree on in this Chamber, particularly as we come up to an election, but this is one where…”

“There are not many issues we agree on in this Chamber, particularly as we come up to an election, but this is one where I think we have a consensus, which is that just by the act of getting married, one should not have to pay higher taxes. Married people should not pay higher taxes than those who might be living together, but not in marriage as individuals. That is the principle behind this legislation. Because of a Senate procedural quirk, the legislation which passed this House on a bipartisan basis was not able to be permanent. It had to be a 10 year, now because we are 2 years later, 8.5 year piece of legislation so that this marriage penalty relief that this House agrees on on a bipartisan basis expires in 8 short years. If we do not make this permanent, what will happen? It means that $17 billion will be increased in terms of taxes in 2011, and there will be a $25 billion tax increase in 2012 to primarily middle-income married couples who otherwise would benefit from the marriage penalty relief which passed this House. All we are saying today is let us make this permanent.”