[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 129 (Thursday, September 24, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H8536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   AN HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY FOR CONGRESS TO ABOLISH THE MARRIAGE TAX 
                                PENALTY

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, this Congress has an historic and exciting 
opportunity to do something it should have done a long time ago, 
abolish the marriage tax penalty. Many young couples are surprised to 
learn that government actually penalizes people for getting married; 
yes, an average of $1,400 per year for middle class income earners.
  People have long known that government does not do a lot of smart 
things. In fact, it does a lot of dumb things. Even liberals have to 
admit that government has thousands of stupid regulations, programs 
that actually make things worse instead of better, and inefficiencies 
that seem to be immune from reform.
  But the marriage tax penalty is just plain wrong. It stands as an 
ugly symbol of everything that is wrong about government that has 
gotten too big, too arrogant, and too out of touch with what it is like 
for an average person who struggles every day to get ahead, to make 
ends meet, to build a better life for themselves and their families.
  Why does the government make it so much harder for people who want to 
get married? I urge Members on both sides of the aisle to do what is 
right to correct this wrong.

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