Professor Ventry Comments on ‘Marriage Penalty' for Bloomberg Businessweek, Washington Post

Professor Dennis Ventry commented for Bloomberg Businessweek on the increased taxes some married couples will face as a result of recent changes to federal tax laws.  Married couples--particularly high-income married couples--are more likely to see a bump in their federal tax liability versus singles, because the combined income of these higher-earning married households will exceed the threshold for the recently enacted top marginal tax rate of 39.6 percent, states Ventry in the article, which also ran in the Washington Post.

Professor Ventry also notes that Congress has adjusted tax brackets several times since the 1940s in an effort to address inequities among different types of families.  The so-called "marriage penalty" generally affects higher-income couples, but can also be felt by lower-income households who may phase out of tax benefits--such as the earned income tax credit--upon getting married and filing taxes as a combined unit.  Professor Ventry recommended that all married couples review that they are adequately withholding federal taxes from their paychecks, and suggested that the higher-earning spouse should account for the family's exemptions and additional withholding, since they are in the higher bracket.

Professor Ventry is an expert in tax policy and legal ethics. His research interests include tax expenditure analysis, family taxation, professional responsibility and standards of care, tax filing and administration, tax compliance, public finance, and tax and legal history. In addition, he was recently added as a co-author on the casebook, Legal Ethics and Corporate Practice.

Bloomberg Businessweek article