“Nearly 58,000 married couples in the Third District alone are forced to pay the federal government more in taxes simply because they are married,” Jones said. “If we reduce this unfair penalty, families can apply their savings to help pay for child care, buy a home computer, or invest for education.”
 
Under the current tax code, the Internal Revenue Services treats married couples as a single unit by taxing their combined income and forcing them into a higher tax bracket than if they filed separately. H.R. 4810, the Marriage Penalty Tax Elimination Reconciliation Act, would lessen the impact of the marriage penalty by increasing the standard deduction for married couples, expanding the 15 percent tax bracket for joint filers, and increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit. 

“It is time to stop the government from penalizing married Americans. Now the Senate must realize that this relief is necessary and help us free working couples from this unfair burden,” Jones said.

Congressman Jones is a co-sponsor of similar marriage penalty relief legislation that passed the House earlier this year. H.R. 6, the Marriage Tax Penalty Act, passed the House in February by a vote of 268 – 158, but failed to gain needed support in the Senate.