[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11199-11200]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TAX CUTS BENEFITING AMERICANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 23, 2002, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, just a brief response to my friend from 
Ohio's partisan comments. It is always interesting that some will 
criticize campaign contributions, when their own party has solicited 
and accepted campaign contributions from the same industries or 
interests. So hypocrisy is nothing new in Washington D.C.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to talk this morning about an issue of fairness, 
fundamental fairness. Let me begin by just drawing attention to what we 
in Washington and around the country call the Bush tax cut.
  Last year, with the leadership of the House Republican majority, we 
passed through the House and Senate, and the President signed into law, 
an across-the-board tax cut that cut taxes for every American. Over 100 
million Americans saw their taxes lowered. We eliminated the death tax, 
the marriage tax penalty, and we made it easier to save for retirement 
and for college education.
  Unfortunately, because of a quirk in the rules of the archaic rules 
of the other body, that tax cut had to be temporary. As we debate 
various issues before the Congress, it is always interesting that in 
the Congress historically it has been easy to raise taxes permanently, 
it has been easy to increase spending permanently, but it is very 
difficult to cut taxes permanently.
  Today I want to talk a little bit about one issue that I have been 
very involved in, an issue of fairness, and that is, is it right, is it 
fair that under our Tax Code millions of married working couples where 
a husband and wife are both in the workforce and because they are 
married, they pay higher taxes? We call it the marriage tax penalty.
  On average, the marriage tax penalty today is about $1,700. Where you 
have a husband and wife both in the workforce, they pay on average 
about $1,700 in higher taxes just because they are married. We thought 
it was wrong that under our Tax Code society's most basic institution, 
which is marriage, was being punished.
  I have a couple here that is from the district that I represent, Jose 
and Magdalena Castillo, their son Eduardo, daughter Carolina. They live 
in Joliet, Illinois. They are laborers, construction workers.
  In the case of Jose and Magdalena Castillo, prior to the Bush tax cut 
being signed into law they paid about $1,150 more in higher taxes. The 
reason that a married couple where you have both the man and the woman 
in the workforce and your taxes are higher because you are married is 
because, in the case of Jose and Magdalena, like millions of other 
married working couples, they file jointly, which means that you 
combine your income. That pushed them into a higher tax bracket and 
cost them $1,150 in higher taxes.
  In Joliett, Illinois, $1,150 is several months' worth of car 
payments; it is several months of daycare for Eduardo and Carolina 
while mom and dad are at work. It is real money for real people.
  I was proud that one of the centerpieces of the Bush tax cut this 
past year, signed into law last June by President Bush a little over a 
year ago, was our legislation to eliminate and wipe out the marriage 
tax penalty.
  Unfortunately, because this provision was temporary, unless we make 
permanent the elimination of the marriage tax penalty, that we make 
permanent the Bush tax cut, 36 million married working couples, like 
Jose and Magdalena Castillo of Joliet, Illinois, will see their 
marriage penalty come back, where they are going to end up paying 
higher taxes just because they are married. The Congressional Budget 
Office estimates that 36 million married working couples will see a tax 
increase of almost $42 billion unless Congress makes permanent our 
effort to eliminate the marriage tax penalty.
  I was very proud, just 2 weeks ago this House of Representatives 
voted overwhelmingly in a bipartisan way to make permanent the 
elimination of the marriage tax penalty. Every House Republican voted 
``yes,'' and even though the Democratic leadership argued against our 
efforts to eliminate the marriage tax penalty, 60 Democrats broke ranks 
with their leadership and joined with House Republicans to vote to make 
permanent our effort to eliminate the marriage tax penalty.
  My hope is both the House and Senate will be able to accomplish 
elimination of the marriage tax penalty permanently and that we will be 
able to get this legislation to the President this year. It is a 
priority.
  When you think about it, in Washington, D.C., the marriage tax 
penalty suffered by Jose and Magdalena Castillo of $1,150, that is 
pennies. That is chump change in Washington, D.C. But to the real 
people back home, in the south Suburbs of Chicago, in Joliet

[[Page 11200]]

Illinois, $1,150 is real money. In the case of Eduardo and Carolina, 
for their children they could set that money aside for their college 
education in education savings accounts.
  Mr. Speaker, let us eliminate the marriage tax penalty permanently; 
and let us hope the Senate joins with the House, that we do it in a 
bipartisan way and get it done this year.

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