[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 34 (Thursday, March 4, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H963]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    ENDING THE MARRIAGE TAX PENALTY

  (Mr. WELLER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to, of course, point out to my 
friend across the aisle that this House passed legislation to provide 
for school construction in the 90-10 tax cut plan last year, and 
Republicans voted for it.
  I have an important question before the House today. That is, do the 
American people feel that it is right, that it is fair, that married 
working couples pay higher taxes under our tax code just because they 
are married? Do the Americans feel that it is right that 21 million 
average working married couples pay, on average, $1,400 more in higher 
taxes just because they are married, higher taxes than identical 
working couples working outside of marriages?
  Of course Americans do not feel that is right, that is fair. It is 
just not right and fair that married working couples pay more. In fact, 
we should make elimination of the marriage tax penalty a priority in 
this Congress. The $1,400, the average marriage tax penalty, that is 
one year's tuition in the Joliet Junior College in the district that I 
represent, or 3 months of day care at a local child care center. It is 
real money for real people back home.
  Let us lower taxes, and let us make elimination of the marriage tax 
penalty a family priority this year.

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