Marriage Penalty

Like many demagogues, David Blankenhorn (“The Fallacy of the Marriage ‘Penalty,’ ” Commentary, Feb. 3) is so eager to push his agenda that he ignores the facts. The facts are that a one-earner married couple, with or without children, already pay less income tax than they would if the people were just living together. If both parties work and have similar incomes, however, they pay more tax than they would if single.

How can trying to do something about the very real penalty in the latter case be called “special tax breaks for two-earner couples”?

GERALD C. SNYDER

Sunland