The Winners (Wealthy) and The Losers (Us)

More on the Bush Tax Plan by the Washington Post. Snippet:

"The losers are those near the bottom: low-income working families eligible to receive money under the Earned Income Tax Credit. The House bill approved last week accelerates a planned increase in the child tax credit and relief from the so-called marriage penalty -- for everyone except those who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. The pending Senate bill accelerates child tax credits for some in this group, but like the House version it would provide no marriage penalty relief for EITC recipients -- who can face a particularly steep hit. Consider the situation of two single parents, each with one child and each earning $10,000. If they remain single, each receives about $2,500. If they marry, their total tax benefits fall by more than $1,000. As Sen. James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.) argued without success in the Senate Finance Committee, leaving the penalty in place discourages marriage -- exactly the opposite of what conservatives who voted against the Jeffords amendment say they want."