If both spouses of a married couple earn roughly equivalent high level of wages,the couple is likely to pay a marriage penalty due to the nature of the tax rate schedules.

Question

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The tax rate schedules for married couples can result in a marriage penalty when both spouses earn similar high incomes. This is because the tax brackets for married couples are not exactly double those of single taxpayers, and can result in a higher tax rate applied to the combined income of both spouses.

If Both Spouses of a Married Couple Earn Roughly Equivalent