On October 2, the House approved, 285-130, a resolution (H. Res. 543) urging Congress to make permanent the marriage tax penalty relief provisions included in the tax cut law (P.L. 107-16) enacted last year (see The Source, 6/8/01). The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL).
Under current law, beginning in 2005, the basic standard deduction for married couples filing jointly will gradually increase until it reaches twice the standard deduction for a single taxpayer by 2009. The law also phases in an expansion of the 15 percent tax bracket for married filers. Starting in 2005, the threshold for married couples will gradually increase to double the corresponding threshold for single filers.
All of the tax breaks in last year’s law, including the marriage tax penalty relief provisions, are scheduled to expire on December 31, 2010. The House, on June 13, approved a bill (H.R. 4019) that would make the marriage tax relief provisions in the tax law permanent (see The Source, 6/14/02). The Senate has not considered similar legislation.
