Marriage peanlty tax

[Katha Pollitt]

But what is wrong with taxing married couples more than two single
people earning those incomes? Married people gets tons of economic
benefits denied single people -- and two can live as cheaply as one.   I
share the suspicion that if this was a good idea, the republicans
wouldn't be for it.

there's a wonderful book about the marriage tax, and the effecto f tax
policy  on reinforcing women's second-class status in marriage, called
"Taxing Women,:" by edward mcCormack. He argues that bascially
throughout our history the rich have favored whatever tax policy in
relation to husbands and wives that lowers the tax for rich people.