Extensions of Remarks 5831

Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, Getting married shouldn’t mean saying ‘I do;’ to higher taxes. In my state of New York over one and a half million couples are burdened by the marriage penalty, nearly 60,000 in my district alone. This occurs when married couples pay more than an unmarried couple with the same income. For example two individuals, living together, but not married, each with incomes of $30,000—their combined standard deduction would be $9,100 and their tax rate would be 15%. If that same couple got married, their standard deduction would drop to $7,189 and they would move into the 28% tax rate. The only difference is that they got married. We should eliminate this inequity by widening the 15% tax bracket to allow joint filers to have two times the income of individuals and still remain taxed at 15%. We should also double the standard deduction for joint filers to twice that of singles. We’re talking about people who work hard and play by the rules. At a time when parents are working harder for less money, we need to encourage families, not punish them. Ending the marriage penalty is particularly urgent for the middle-class. This is a wrong that should have been righted a long time ago—making the tax code more fair while providing families with meaningful tax relief for the things that matter—buying a home, ensuring quality family medical care, and sending kids to college.