Ehrlich on Washington column, February 7, 2000

NEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 315 Cannon House Office Building Lutherville, Maryland 2 1 093 Washington, D.C. 205 1 5 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of February 7, 2000 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Saying “ I Do ” Should Not Mean A Lifetime Of Paying Higher Taxes. For all the joys married life has to offer, certain problems undoubtedly exist. Many married couples, particularly those heading middle class or lower income families, often struggle paying mortgage or rent, child raising and education costs, automobile and grocery bills. They vowed to live together “for better and for worse,” and most married couples gladly face these struggles as a team. I doubt, however, most couples realized saying “I do” meant not only “in sickness and in health,” but also paying higher Federal taxes than their single counterparts. Approximately 28 million married couples pay an average of $1400 in higher taxes due to the marriage penalty. This is because our tax code punishes working couples by pushing them into a higher tax bracket. The marriage penalty taxes the income of the second wage earner, usually the wife, at a much higher rate than if she were taxed only as an individual. For the second consecutive year, I am backing legislation which will end this penalty against married couples. President Clinton, who, incredibly, vetoed marriage penalty relief last year, has finally admitted this onerous tax is unfair and has offered an Administration proposal to counter the House bill. His plan, however, does not go far enough in helping middle class families.