Marriage-Penalty Tax

Does Wedlock Have to Hurt?

Nearly every politician in Washington agrees that the marriage penalty is unfair. Who could think otherwise? The penalty--a quirk in the tax code that forces some married couples to pay higher taxes than they would if they were single--seems to make as much sense as a tax on baseball or apple pie. Here's how the penalty works: If a man and woman, each making $60,000, fall in love and marry, they will be pushed into a higher tax bracket. The $120,000 couple will pay a higher rate than the two singles would have. It seems unfair. But that doesn't mean anything...

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