June 12, 1998 03:54 PM | Permalink |
As they talk about tax simplification, both the Republican Congress and the Democratic president have been enthusiastic about creating disparities among taxpayers of similar incomes– especially when it comes to treating investment income more favorably than wages. But now many in Congress are making a great cause of one particular differential: the one between married and unmarried couples. So strong is the pressure to do something about the so-called “marriage penalty” that the stalled tobacco bill gained momentum in the Senate this week from the inclusion of a provision to give an income tax break to low and moderate income married couples.