Comments on: Are tax breaks for married couples a good idea?

By: Harry Monell

Harry Monell — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 21:17:29 +0000

Your closing remarks regarding the notion that nothing will replace a loving, stable, family still seems to make the most sense. However, the question concerns equity of alternatives and with that I don’t suppose any legislation will appease everyone. When all else fails, please do look after the children, but I agree that the incentives should lean toward marriage and the potential for stability and idealistic normalcy.

By: Oksana

Oksana — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:43:55 +0000

Definitely think its a good idea to give tax breaks to promote marriage. In Russia they go a lot further than this. They give parents something ridiculous like $1000 for every kid that is born to boost the population growth. Its seems that in UK there’s more incentive to stay single. As soon as you get married, some benefits are taken away from you. For example, it is a lot more thrifty to remain a single parent.

By: Oksana

Oksana — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:40:01 +0000

By: Rx Help

Rx Help — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 11:39:15 +0000

If you are going to use the tax code as a device for engineering social behaviour, you need to be prepared for the fall out. At what point do you say that someone can’t be married? Two people of mixed race? Two people of the same sex? Two people that have the same parents? Maybe someone and their pet? When government starts social engineering it becomes an extremly slippery slope that has countless unintended consequences.

By: Single Parent

Single Parent — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:29:01 +0000

Reading this made me feel smarter,better informed.Great post!

By: Alex Muir

Alex Muir — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:36:08 +0000

Tax breaks for married couples may appear to some to have benfits. However, quite apart from the potential problems discussed in the post, what about the “innocent” party in a marital split. For the purposes of argument, if we assume that it is right that married couplesare entitled to tax breaks, is it right that one party should lose any such tax break because of the infidelty/cruelty/intolerable behaviour of his/her spouse?

By: Blogging

Blogging — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:47:29 +0000

Saw your blog bookmarked on Delicious. I love your site.

By: Werbegeschenke

Werbegeschenke — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 13:17:55 +0000

Being married is important – I always find it funny when those who are unable to find someone who would want to be with them for a sustained period of time complain about the benefits married couples get. The cream rises to the top, those singletons will be end up as the dregs! Great post!

By: alaska cruises

alaska cruises — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:24:00 +0000

Why on earth should i as a single person pay extra tax for married couples. They already share the heating and lighting in the home plus the TV licence and the family car. If i find out there are further tax breaks for married couples then i will squirrel away a similar amount from the tax man