MARRIAGE PENALTY

Increased tax burden on married couples regardless if filed jointly or separately, as compared to filing separate tax return with single status. In the United States, there are various tax rate structures that resulted to higher tax rates for higher income individuals and couples than lower income earners. Also, there are speculations that American citizens avoid marriage because of marriage penalty. This has been at the center of many political debates, hence the US took measures to resolve this taxation discrepancy.