Washington, D.C. – National Center for Policy Analysis Senior Fellow Bruce Bartlett will testify on the marriage tax penalty at a House Ways and Means Committee hearing Wednesday, January 28, 1998. A marriage tax penalty results when a married couple pays more taxes by filing jointly than they would pay if each spouse could file as a single. Marriage penalties only apply when both spouses have earned incomes – an unfair occurrence considering that single-earner couples never pay a penalty. In fact, single-earner families always get a bonus from the Tax Code.
Bartlett will testify that the marriage tax penalty may be the most persuasive argument for a flat tax or national sales tax. The penalty could be eliminated by allowing couples the choice of filing as singles or jointly. But Bartlett will testify that this solution and almost any other solution will increase the complexity of the Tax Code.
Bruce Bartlett is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policies at the U.S. Treasury Department. In 1987 and 1988 he served as a Senior Policy Analyst in the Office of Policy Development at the White House.
WHO:
Bruce Bartlett NCPA Senior FellowWHAT:
Marriage Tax Penalty Testimony Before The House Ways and Means CommitteeWHEN:
10 a.m., Wednesday
January 28, 1998WHERE:
1100 Longworth House Office Building
*Bruce Bartlett is available for media interviews.