27 The Marriage Penalty

Believe it or not, some Christians didn’t want the Marriage Penalty Tax removed because it might hurt poor people. I wonder if by taxing families, many of them poor, at a higher rate than a couple living together in sin, children in all groups were benefiting?

This article appeared about a year ago: “Bush’s plan is nonetheless pro-family, said the Acton Institute’s De Vous. “The marriage penalty, which hits low-income workers hardest and serves as a financial obstacle discouraging marriage, will be reduced now, instead of waiting until 2009,” he said. “This reduction, combined with an increase in the child tax credit, from $600 to $1,000 this year, makes clear that this administration understands that stable marriages and family life serve as a foundational principle in wealth creation, and as such, ought not to be disincentivized by the tax code.”

However, perhaps Christian married couples could put the tax penalty break into the collection plate. It could still do Jesus’ work.