Married Women, Look Out For This Tax Hike

Certainly it's no surprise to see a Democrat proposing a tax increase; it's what they do best. But the scope of this increase -- and particularly its hostility to women -- is breathtaking.

The price tag of Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY) new tax proposal is $3.5 trillion. That makes it the largest increase of individual taxes ever.

And for all their talk about being the party of the soccer moms, this tax bill really has it in for married women. First, it brings back the marriage penalty. As Carrie Lukas writes for the Independent Women's Forum, the bill would impose a four percent surtax that would hit individuals at $150,000 a year. Married couples, however, would have to pay the surcharge at $200,000.

That is, the Democrats are providing a disincentive for hardworking, successful couples to marry; to do so would cost them thousands of dollars in extra taxes.

Likewise, the Democratic bill would punish married women who opt to return to work after raising their children because a married couple's incomes are combined for tax purposes. After the government takes its share, the wife would get to keep so little of her paycheck, there would be little point in working.

Note that the top marginal rate would increase to 44 percent. For the next year, we can count on President Bush to veto this tax hike. A President Hillary Clinton would probably complain that the tax does not go far enough. This is what is at stake in next year's election.