Interesting data. Strong families make for strong communities, we should be working to make sure that government policies encourage families rather than discourage them. How Big Is the Marriage Tax? Now We Know | John C. Goodman There are many reasons to care about this. Academic studies find that marriage stabilizes relationships, improves children’s outcomes and facilitates the development of labor market skills for the adults. In general, marriage is correlated with economic well-being. One study reports that married couples’ average per capita wealth is more than twice that of the never-married. Until recently researchers have not had the tools to fully measure the full extent of government-created marriage penalties. A new study by Boston University economist Laurence Kotlikoff and his colleagues gives us the most accurate estimate to date. The study includes more than 30 different federal and state entitlement programs—all of which condition benefits on the beneficiaries’ incomes. In addition to federal income and payroll taxes, it includes the tax rates in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. And it includes the effects of marriage on such elderly entitlement benefits as Social Security and Medicare. No previous study comes close to this level of careful measurement. One finding: young adults with low- or middle-income jobs pay a heavy price if they marry. When higher tax rates are combined with a reduction in welfare/entitlement benefits, the economic loss from marriage is equal to between one-and-a-half and two years of income, on average.
As a non married person with no kids that I'm aware of, I don't have a problem paying into child healthcare, public schools and things like that. Kids need to be given opportunities and a fair start, and that will hopefully benefit me in the long run anyway in addition to being the right thing to do. I don't know the current tax laws and don't want people to be punished for getting married if that's happening. But I'm also not interested in subsidizing married people or paying anyone to get married, particularly if they're not having children. There are already built in financial advantages for couples since they only have to pay for one house, one AC unit, one fridge, etc.
There are good points on both sides of this. If we think we need to have more family units (mother & father, two mothers, two fathers) raising the children then we should look at reducing the marriage penalty, not saying to eliminate it, just reduce it.
The 13th Amendment should protect us as well … but it doesn’t. Case law has determined that at one point or another you volunteered for that servitude.
I'm clicking "cmon man" here. Because my wife grabs my phone on occasion and I dont sleep well on the couch (You see that honey!?)
I listened to a podcast one time with two "married" financial planners/economists. Though they never legally got married because of the benefits to not. Things like having two homestead exemptions, lower individual tax rates. Etc. Somehow my wife didn't go for it
