[net.politics.theory] Marriage penalty

kjm@ut-ngp.UUCP (Ken Montgomery) (03/01/85)

[ This is cross-posted from net.flame... ]

From: hrs@homxb.UUCP (H.SILBIGER)
>Let's put the question another way:
>
>Why should two people living together without the
>formality of marriage pay less taxes than a formally
>married couple?
>
>Whether the question is put this way, or the way it
>was phrased in previous questions, it is not always true.
>If two people are living together, not married,
>but one earns all the income, then they would pay
>more taxes than if they were married!
>
>Can anyone suggest a solution which would not have any
>inequities.

No taxation at all.  Charge user fees instead.

>Herman Silbiger

--
The above viewpoints are mine.  They are unrelated to
those of anyone else, including my cats and my employer.

Ken Montgomery  "Shredder-of-hapless-smurfs"
...!{ihnp4,allegra,seismo!ut-sally}!ut-ngp!kjm  [Usenet, when working]
kjm@ut-ngp.ARPA  [for Arpanauts only]

plh@ukma.UUCP (Paul L. Hightower) (03/05/85)

>Let's put the question another way:
>
>Why should two people living together without the
>formality of marriage pay less taxes than a formally
>married couple?
>
>Whether the question is put this way, or the way it
>was phrased in previous questions, it is not always true.
>If two people are living together, not married,
>but one earns all the income, then they would pay
>more taxes than if they were married!
>
>Can anyone suggest a solution which would not have any
>inequities.
>
>Herman Silbiger

The marriage tax (or its alternative, the singles tax) is a feature of
any progressive tax structure.  A flat tax solves the problem :  if a
couple earns $40,000 a year, they pay the same tax as any other couple
or individual earning $40,000 a year.

Note that it is mathematically impossible to have a progressive tax which:
1)  Taxes all couples with the same income at the same rate; and
2)  Taxes all individuals with the same income at the same rate, regardless
    of whether they are part of a couple or not.

Paul Hightower
University of Kentucky