Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representative Kevin Brady voted in support of the Marriage Tax Penalty Relief Act (H.R. 6) that passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 268 - 158 today. The legislation will provide for $182.3 billion in relief to married couples over the next ten years if signed into law by the President.

"Common sense tells you it is terribly unfair and simply wrong to tax families more because they are married," Brady said. "In the communities of the Eighth District alone 64,704 couples are paying higher taxes simply because they are married."

By passing this Republican initiative, the standard deduction for married couples will increase to twice that of a single person, beginning next year. This means that next year a married couple with two children earning between $20,000 - $30,000 per year will see their taxes reduced $638. By 2005 that same couple will have their income taxes reduced $718. Couples don't have to have children and parents don't both have to work to get the relief they are entitled to in this legislation. It will help all families who suffer from the marriage tax.

"Whether both spouses have to work or mom stays at home, eliminating the marriage penalty will make it a little bit easier for Texas families to afford school clothes, braces, medicine and child care," Brady said. "Besides, my wife thinks it's penalty enough to be married to me -- Uncle Sam doesn't need to pile on."