Pete Sessions: “I would like to offer some comments in support of this sense-of-the-Senate resolution regarding the elimination of the…”

“I would like to offer some comments in support of this sense-of-the-Senate resolution regarding the elimination of the marriage penalty. Marriage is an institution to be venerated, and our public policy should affirm marriage and we should have laws that treat married couples on an equal basis with those that are not married. That is the fundamental principle of fairness. The fact is that under our current laws, married couples suffer a financial penalty when it comes to taxation. In fact, married couples pay often substantially more tax than they would pay if they were not married. For example, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office found that 42 percent of married couples face a marriage penalty under the current tax system. The Congressional Budget Office also found that the average tax penalty amounts to $1,380 per year. That is a $100-a-month tax penalty on people who choose to be married rather than those who choose not to marry. As a result of that, we are taking more of their money to in fact subsidize people who are not married who receive those benefits. I think some people have suggested this is in fact a realistic cause of people not to marry. For example, in 1970, just .5 percent of the couples in the United States were not married. By 1996, that number had risen to 7.2 percent. So, Madam President, I would say that this is a very important debate. And I will not belabor the subject.”