Washington, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands) today fought to preserve fairness in the tax code for married couples.  H.R. 4181 passed by 325-95, providing marriage penalty relief permanently for 35 million married couples. 

 

“Common sense tells you it is terribly unfair and simply wrong to tax families more because they are married.  A vote against this bill would amount to a tax increase on  millions of American married couples,” said Brady, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, the tax policy committee in Congress.

 

Unless the relief is extended, 27 million married couples will face an average tax increase of $300 next year—more than 30 million will see a tax increase of over $700 starting in 2011. 

 

Marriage penalty relief was first enacted in the 2001 tax package, and Congress accelerated the full effect of this relief to couples as part of the 2003 tax package.  Marriage penalty relief is achieved by doubling the standard deduction and the 15 percent tax bracket for couples so that these provisions are twice the size of those for an individual.

 

The 2001 tax relief also reduced the marriage penalty in the Earned Income Credit by gradually increasing the income level at which the credit is phased out for married couples.  This relief is scheduled to expire after 2010.   H.R. 4181 ensures that the marriage penalty relief is not reduced for any married couple next year and that the relief stays in the law permanently.

 

Today’s vote marks the fourth time in six years that the House has passed legislation to make marriage penalty relief permanent.  Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA) sponsored the bill.