While justifiably romanticized in the media, the institution of marriage has deeper incentives beyond romantic love. There are also some significant financial advantages to tying the knot. In particular, marrying provides considerable income tax benefits.
The logic behind the federal government’s dangling of such positive financial reinforcement is to encourage marriage and the subsequent rearing of children. Those who marry are more inclined to reproduce.
Furthermore, they are inclined to provide a stable home environment that improves their offspring’s “life chances”. This is precisely why it makes sense to provide
married heterosexual couples with tax breaks.
By this understanding, the future of homosexual marriage, OK’d by the Supreme Court in 2015, is in considerable doubt.
A Brief Look at the Financial Advantages to Marrying
Though it is true that a handful of high-income singles pay more income taxes after marrying, the vast majority of the population enjoys considerable tax breaks after tying the knot. In general, tax brackets are set up to eliminate any such marriage penalty.
The financial benefits of marrying are especially lucrative for middle and low-income taxpayers. Gigantic tax breaks are provided to married couples in which only one person works. Dual-income marriages also yield a hefty bonus if the differences in spousal income are substantial.
Getting hitched also provides breaks on inheritances. Those who acquire or inherit enough wealth to be subjected to the estate tax will be hit with quite the lofty tax penalty upon death.
Estate taxes are currently at a whopping 40 percent. This means that every $600 provided to one’s heirs results in another $400 going to the Internal Revenue Service. Yet those who are married are provided enjoy a limitless marital deduction for money left to a spouse.
Most states provide spouses with a full exemption from the tax or at least a significantly lower tax. In essence, marriage allows parents to nearly double the amount of money provided to their offspring.
The financial benefits of marriage do not stop there. Married couples pay less for auto insurance. A married individual can add his spouse to his health insurance policy. Marrying also makes it much easier to qualify for a home mortgage. Once all these savings are added up, it makes more sense to settle down and marry than stay single.
Do Gay Couples Deserve the Same Benefits?
From a religious perspective, the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision was an affront to religious freedom. From a more secular stance, however, the problem with extending the financial advantages of marriage to homosexuals is that they cannot reproduce.
Since the primary motivation to extend tax breaks and other financial benefits to married couples is to encourage reproduction, married homosexuals should not be eligible. Leftists typically counter this argument by suggesting homosexual couples are fully capable of adoption, but studies regarding how effective they are at raising children have been inconclusive.
You rarely hear this argument made in the mainstream media or elsewhere. Some people do not realize that the motivation to alleviate the financial stress endured by married couples is to make it easier to provide a safe, loving and fulfilling home environment for children. Others refuse to make the argument because they are afraid of offending the sensibilities of homosexuals and liberals.
National Birth Rates
Though some will argue the federal government’s motivation for providing tax breaks to married couples is to prevent promiscuous behavior and the spread of STDs, the truth is that every nation requires human reproduction.
We need safe and loving two-parent households to raise moral and hardworking children. We also need a steady supply of youngsters to defend our nation. Perhaps most importantly, our nation desperately needs stable two-parent homes to raise savvy youngsters who will become tomorrow’s leaders.
The fate of our fragile economy rests on the shoulders of the youth. If our birth rates continue to plummet, we will be forced to accept even more immigrants. Though plenty of immigrants are hungry for opportunities, they bring different value systems, cultures and languages that oftentimes conflict with our values and traditions.
The bottom line is that tax and insurance breaks are provided to married couples because they are inclined to raise high-achieving children who contribute to the economy and reproduce children of their own. Married homosexuals are incapable of providing such a social benefit.
It is time to put our fears of social alienation aside and tell the unpopular truth about this important issue.
~ 1776 Christian
